


The Power Within

by Rainpebbles



Series: Mutant 'Verse [1]
Category: Mutant X, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Malec, Mutant Powers, References to Mutant X (Comics), Slow Burn, dont need to know Mutant X to read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-06-15 17:02:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 43,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15417534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainpebbles/pseuds/Rainpebbles
Summary: For years, Alec and his siblings have been in hiding from the Corporation that experimented on them and gave them mutant abilities. After being saved by fellow mutants from agents come to collect them, Alec, Jace and Isabelle find themselves with a choice...Continue to hide, or join the team of mutants in saving all those like them.





	1. Hiding

**Author's Note:**

> Mutant Categories and basic premise are from the Mutant X universe, but you don't have to know that show to understand. Will probably be a long fic, and will probably become a series if people like the AU enough.  
> Thanks and Enjoy!

Walking down the overly bright white hallway, his sweaty hands clenched at his sides just enough away from his suit jacket to keep from creating wet marks, Hodge walked towards the glass walled office. Every few feet he would see the same company logo of a red circle displayed on a door, window, and even the occasional pocket of yet another lab coat clad employee walking by. It was such a simple design, but what it represented was more complex than even he understood at this point, and honestly, he isn’t sure he would ever truly want to understand.

He was tied to this company in a way that he knew that he could never fully escape, he gave up trying years ago. Sadly, not everyone else tied to this place had realized that yet. They would soon however, if the news he just received was any indication.

Stopping just outside the glass door to the office, he spared only half a second to compose himself. It wouldn’t do to show how much this was affecting him. If he took any longer then the man on the other side of the door would notice. Hodge quickly quelled the brief instinct to turn and run, and pushed open the door and entered, moving in to a parade rest as soon as the door closed behind him.

The man behind the desk glanced up from papers on his desk, all watermarked with more of the red logo. Hodge cleared his throat, it wouldn’t do to have his voice crack now, “Mr. Morgenstern, we’ve received word that the database is complete.”

Valentine Morgenstern smiled as he sat forward, elbows placed on the desk and hands steepled against his chin. He had been waiting for this for 8 years, finally his time had come.

“Then please go bring my car around, Mr. Starkweather. We have someone we need to pay a visit to.”

* * *

 

For probably the fourth time in the last ten minutes, Alec raised his numb hands to his mouth, blowing hard on the frozen digits in the hopes that maybe this time it would ease the ache. Not for the first time that day he wished for Jace’s presence, his brother’s pyrotechnic tendencies would be appreciated right about now.

He was on his way back from work, stumbling along the sidewalk in his too small boots, too stubborn to take the damn subway because he didn’t want to waste money on that when he could easily walk his way back to their building. They needed food. They needed warmer blankets. Hell, they needed to pay off their “landlord” to keep his mouth shut about them squatting in the abandoned building that for whatever reason, this guy claimed was his. Normally Jace would just tell the guy to fuck off and they’d continue to sleep wherever they wanted, but this guy just had to see Izzy jumping down three stories from the rooms she was scouting out for them and landing on her feet without even a wince. His silence is what helped keep them safe.

It wasn’t easy to find an "abandoned on paper" building that was off of the skycam drones normal grid, had blind spots where the street cameras were placed, not to mention the one that the “landlord” kept on a video loop for his lot of “tenants” to enter and exit the building unnoticed, and contained people who made a living off of looking the other way…it was as close to perfect as they could find.

Alec and his siblings had an extensive list of requirements for their living arrangements and unfortunately this unheated wreck of a concrete monstrosity without indoor plumbing was as safe as they could find.

Safety came before luxury.

He tried to remind himself of that as ducked down behind the dumpster and started to squeeze his tall frame through the broken basement window, careful to avoid the shards of glass that still lingered even after the thousands of times he and his siblings slipped through this same spot. As his eyes adjusted to the dim room, electricity was another luxury they did without, he let out a soft sigh.

_Couldn’t be a hard sigh_ , he thought wryly to himself, _would disturb too much dust_.

“Hey, you,” came Izzy’s voice from the floor where their dirty mattress lay. She sat up, layers of blankets pooling around her slender waist and she moved to greet her big brother.

Alec moved quickly to push her back down into the nest of fabric, “Hey to you too,” he said as he kissed the side of her head as she rubbed her face in his neck, “Don’t get up, you it’s freezing tonight. Just let me fix us some food and when Jace gets home we can eat, okay?”

It was late November and this was only the start of the cold season that was to come, but they had survived winters before this.  
_They would get through this_ , he thought as he watched his sister settle down, blankets pulled up to her chin, the soft sound of a purr filling up the small room. If there was anything the Lightwoods knew how to do, it was survive.

Stifling a cough, he moved over to their pitiful stash of canned foods. He pulled out a few random vegetables, a can of some ground mystery meat, and threw them into a pan. He was just about to pull out the small Bunsen burner to start up a flame when a pair of boots hitting the floor behind him stilled his trembling hands.

“Hey, save the gas, I got that,” Jace said as he made his way in to the room.

Alec nodded and stepped back, a wide enough berth that helped with the anxiety that came with Jace’s “gift” being used in such a small room. That wide berth just happened to put him in the same corner where Izzy and their mattress were, so gratefully Alec pulled off his toe pinching boots and climbed under the covers with her.

“Jeez, Alec! Warn a girl next time you decide to bring ice cubes into my blanket burrito!” She scolded, scooting as far to the side as she could without letting any limbs escape the blankets.

Jace snickered from where he squatted by the pan of food, his ever-present lighter flicking on. One spark and suddenly Jace’s hand held a glowing orb of flame. Alec and Izzy both sighed wistfully, watching as Jace slowly moved his hand back and forth under the pan and bringing their food to a fast sizzle.

Once the food was warm and for the most part, cooked, Jace made his own way over to the mattress. He kicked his own boots off before darting under the lifted corner of blankets Alec had up.

All three of them dove in to the odd stir fry of food with the plastic forks Jace has swiped from the fast food joint earlier that week.

“So, how were your respective days?” Izzy asked coyly.

Alec snorted, “Not great. I worked on another fall wedding flower order for hours only to have the bride call us with some new color scheme. I put so much energy in to those orange roses and was too drained to get the red ones to perk up. I had to stay an hour late putting those pitiful droopy things in to some mismatched vases. I can’t believe I had to use those sad things.”

“Why would you care if that indecisive bitch got droopy ass flowers?” Jace said, mouth full of half chewed food.

“Because they felt sick! Another day and I could have gotten them perfect.”

“Perfect to rot in a vase and be thrown out as soon as the wedding ends?” Izzy asked, confused.

Alec sighed heavily, “At least I could have given them a more dignified death where they went out at their best. Not surrounded by yellow sunflowers they didn’t even match,” he grumbled, forking a stray piece of mushy carrot with a bit more force than necessary. “What about you guys?” he asked.

Jace shrugged, “Same old, same old. People are even more rude about their coffee when it’s cold outside. Was able to swipe some sugar packets on my way out though. Enjoy bro,” he said as he pulled the packets from his jacket, handing them to Alec who was trying his best to look angry at Jace endangering his job for a little bit of sugar, but couldn’t stop the small smile that creeped on his face. He tucked the precious gifts under his pillow for later.

Sugar was something that Alec couldn’t explain, he craved it in an unnatural way. He could remember the first time he started craving it and one of the nurses caught him with the large cooking spoon half raised to his lips and the large bag of sugar in his lap. That’s when his life started to change drastically. 

They had all stopped questioning the odd habits, quirks, phobias, and cravings that started presenting in each of them around the time that Izzy started rubbing her chin on their shoulders when she felt insecure. Jace and Izzy took his sugar cravings in stride, bringing him his favorite treat whenever they could. And again they didn’t question it when Jace made them break the window so that a constant flow of fresh oxygen could make it in the room,  even with all the cold breezes that came with it.

“And what about you, Iz?” Alec asked.

“People need to learn how to put things back on the return rack, rather than just leaving a big pile of clothes on a chair in the fitting room. I got complaints from some busy body mom with four screaming boys that I wasn’t doing my job, but really how am I supposed to clean those things out when there is someone dashing in three seconds after the other leaves? Also, if you’re going to try on bathing suits and dresses, don’t take the bathing suits to the dresses fitting room! I had to go upstairs three times to bring back suits and then got yelled at for leaving my post,” she grouched.

They all continued to complain good naturedly to each other over their pitiful dinner, never once mentioning their living conditions because they couldn’t risk the idea of anything better. This was safe. They were safe. They were together.

The dirty pan was forgotten and put to the side as the three of them burrowed deeper under the blankets, settling down for the long frosty night.

As Alec’s eyes became heavier he listened for his siblings breathing became slow and even, and only once he knew they were asleep did he allow himself to finally drift off.

* * *

 

**Location: Spiral Mountain**

Magnus sat quietly by his window, looking out over the tops of the trees of the forest below while he sipped at his scotch. He was fighting off yet another headache that no mundane medicine would lessen, so sue him if he was avoiding the other inhabitants of their little Sanctuary.

Simon talked too much on his quiet days, his enthusiastic thoughts were anything but a balm on his bruised brain. Clary cared to much on her grumpiest of days. And Luke…damn if that man didn’t have a world of guilt laying on those muscular shoulders. Magnus couldn’t handle feeling that man’s self-destructive thoughts on top of his own, not with this headache at least.

Sometimes people just needed to exercise their right a self-pity party. And of any group of people, mutants had every right to host their very own self-pity parties whenever they damned well pleased.

  
For the last 10 years, The Circle Corporation had been fucking over hundreds if not thousands of sick people, claiming that their new genetic engineering technology would save them at no cost.

But there was a cost. Normalcy. Humanity. Entire Lives.

“Cost was too high,” Magnus mumbled to himself as he swirled his glass, ice clinking against the glass sides. He was one of those sick people that got fucked over. One small genetic disease was all it took for the Circle to come knocking at his mother’s door, both of them frail and wan from the shared illness they had. They promised them so much. They’d be healthy. They’d be happy. All they had to do was sign over their lives.

His mother didn’t hesitate, too sick to realize just what it was she was getting them in to. It wasn’t until years later that Magnus realized what it was they did that day. They were to become property of Circle Corps. Lab rats for them to experiment on.

His mother didn’t survive the experiments, but he did. With some side effects.

Now here he was, living with three other people who all devoted their lives to cleaning up the messes that Circle Corps had left behind. Every day brought new struggles, new adventures, new people. There were so many lives that they got to touch, Magnus had no idea why he still felt so empty. His mind was filled with the feelings of others, why did he feel so numb?

_“Magnus! It’s dinner time!”_

Hearing Clary’s voice echo through the hall sent another stab of pain through his head, but perhaps it was time to make the last call on his pity party. His thoughts were taking a turn down dark alley way and he didn’t want that cloud descending on his night.

“Coming, Biscuit” he called after her and threw back the last of his drink and started to walk towards the swirling emotions and people gathered in the kitchen. Letting the alcohol burn the back of his throat he thought to himself not for the first time…how is it possible to be so lonely when surrounded by friends?


	2. Found

The flower shop where Alec worked was not fancy by any means. It was a small little unit squished between a deli with a reputation for food poisoning, and a barber shop run by a man who was old enough to probably belong in his own exhibit at the Natural History Museum. And all this was on a side street to an off the beaten path street, that was off of a quite city road that was off of a main street. Basically, nobody would just “walk in” to their shop. What they got were guys in apology mode and happened to have their apartment nearby, people who wanted the cheapest flowers possible for their wedding, or people who just happened to go to the fifth page of google results to find the perfect hidden flower shop with a reputation for having all species of flowers at any given point of year, no matter how out of season they were.

It was the perfect place for Alec. Here he would be spotted by fewer people, and those who did come by were usually too self absorbed to notice the tall dark haired young man haunting the back of the room, talking to the plants. Even more perfect, he was in his element. Literally. He was surrounded by plants.

It was like having a happy hum around him at all times. Their life bled in to his and he bled right back in to theirs. If he was in a happy mood then the blooms would suddenly burst open. If he was sad they would close in to buds. If he was sick….

Blearily Alec watched as another leaf fell off of the plant he was watering.

The last few days he’d been feeling worse and worse, limbs heavy, body too cold, headache persistent behind his hazel eyes. It had been cloudy and cold for over a week now. Snow kept falling at random times, and Alec and his siblings not having a TV never knew when it would hit them on their way home. With the days so short, Alec was having trouble remembering the last time he saw sunlight. Their shop was too hidden in the city, shadowed by looming tall buildings around them. Nothing got in through their windows, the poor plants around him were screaming for some rays, but there was nothing he could do.

Nothing at all, and he was here three hours past closing time, waiting on someone to come in to pick up the last order of flowers for someone’s funeral. He had been sitting watching as the plants around him started to wilt. He knew he was causing it, but his manager had left for the day and told Alec to stay despite him looking like death warmed over.

As if he would have argued that the sun had set and he had to walk home on the icy roads. He needed this job too much. They needed every penny that the three of them could muster up. Paying for the cave they lived in took a big chunk of change. Paying for the silence took an even bigger one. The few bucks left over were used to feed the three of them, pay for a gym membership so the they had a warm place to go shower and work out when they could, and to buy a few scraps of clothes from the nearby thrift store.

Alec had been waiting until his boots of three years finally wore through before buying his next pair. His last growth spurt may have had him outgrow his boots in the span of six months, but thankfully his habit of choosing far too large sweaters allowed him to keep those a bit longer.

He was starting to regret his “wear it until it borders on indecent exposure” policy as he picked at another hole in his sleeve, the one that would let in the frigid air on his walk home. Maybe he’d ask Izzy for another sweater for his Christmas gift this year. She was always telling him that he needed better clothes.

Usually he didn’t mind the ratty clothes. He preferred the money to go towards getting Izzy decent bras and make-up, or making sure that Jace had comfortable shoes for his long days standing behind a coffee bar. But this last week had him feeling…unwell. Stupid cold, cloudy weather…

Checking the clock he noted that the customer was now four hours late. Izzy and Jace would already have made it home and would no doubt be wondering where he was. It wouldn’t be long before they would come looking for him. It’s what they did. Worry about each other.

It had been 8 years since the three of them ran away from Circle Corporation together, too scared, too angry, too sad to stay. They were just a couple kids, but every enhanced instinct they had at that point told them they were in danger.

Izzy was near out of her mind with her every fiber telling her that her family was being threatened. She was to the point where she could barely speak, choosing instead to let out animalistic growls and snarls whenever anyone even glanced at her brothers.

Jace could barely look anyone in the eye without flinching and ducking his head down, pretending he didn't need human contact.

And Alec…he had already failed one sibling. There was no way that he would let his sister and chosen brother down too.

It wasn’t that hard to escape. Not with the gifts they had been developing since they began their treatments at Circle Corporation. What was hard was remaining hidden after running. The day and age that it was, technology made it almost impossible to stay hidden. Cameras were everywhere. Software had been developed to identify faces from fuzzy pictures. Skycams were placed on drones that flew through the city, their soft humming noises now a normal part of day to day life. They were surrounded by threats.

Sure, they had the idea to leave the city where there was less eyes everywhere, but they quickly realized just how much attention they drew when there weren’t thousands of other people on the same sidewalk as you. Jace and Izzy had grown up in to beautiful people, gazes were easily drawn to them. Izzy insisted that he also drew as many interested glances, but Alec was too busy looking out for them to even notice. The city was the best place to become background characters. Never in focus of and in proper line of sight, just another body to bump in to while getting on the subway.

This wouldn’t last forever. They all had expiration dates. Until then they would just….survive.

The bell on the door ringing brought Alec out of his thoughts and he turned to greet the very late customer, “Hi, I’m guessing you’re the Caffrey order?”

The man who had walked in to the shop glanced up from where he was wiping his slushy shoes off on the dirty mat and Alec watched as his eyes widened comically before giving a soft smile.

It was a smile that for once was easy for Alec to return. The man before him was incredibly handsome, with styled hair, glittery jewelry, an expensive and well fitted jacket across broad shoulders, and deep soulful eyes that Alec felt he could melt in to. On anyone else the whole look would be too much, but he pulled it off in a way that left him speechless.

As if floating, the man gracefully walked up to the counter where Alec stood, peering around as if looking for someone. It would make sense if he was looking for someone particular, no one as stunning as this man would consciously seek out this little shop.

Then he turned back to Alec, soft smile still present, “Hello there, beautiful. I was wondering, are you all alone in here tonight?”

_Odd question…_ Alec thought to himself, “Uh, y-yes. Just me here. Are you here for the Caffrey order?”

The man even shook his head gracefully, “Afraid not, dear. I’m here for something much more important. Now, are you sure there aren’t any other people in this shop? A customer perhaps?”

Alec frowned, “No, just me. The shop was supposed to close hours ago, I’m just waiting for someone to pick up a few arrangements.”

The man seemed a bit worried at this and quickly typed something in to his phone. _Probably texting someone that he is lost as fuck,_ Alec mused.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to come with me for a drink, right now? Maybe let this Caffrey pick up another time?” the man asked after he finished his text. Glancing at Alec with apprehensive hope.

It was damned tempting. Here was this hot as hell guy asking him for a drink. This is where Alec, if he was a normal person, would stutter out a yes and leave. However, Alec was far from a normal person. He couldn’t risk going somewhere with cameras. He didn’t have money to pay for a drink. And to top it off, this guy was probably way out of his league if his shiny shoes were anything to go by.

But it was the little voice in his head that did him in. Whispers of _freak_ rang through his mind and Alec let the smile fall from his face, “Um, that sounds fun, but I can’t.”

Alec was expecting maybe a little dejection, surprise maybe at someone turning down such a stunning individual. What he didn’t expect was for the man to launch himself over the counter at him, tackling him to the ground in a tackle that knocked the air from his lungs.

He was about to ask something along the lines of _what the actual fuck,_ when the door to his shop crashed open, sending the bell flying off and nearby vases of flowers toppled over, water and flowers rushing on the floor. From where Alec lay on the cold and now wet floor, he could see several sets of military boots stomping in to his little shop, coming to stand in front of the counter.

A soft hand moved over his mouth and Alec looked up in to those warm eyes of the man now practically draped over him. He raised his other hand to his lips and then slowly moved to stand up, releasing Alec from his hold.

“Well, hello there. Looking for someone?” he asked coyly.

Several weapons were raised and pointed straight at the sparkly man’s chest where all those necklaces lay, and Alec’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. _Who the hell was this guy?_ He didn’t seem phased in the slightest, more amused than anything. He turned his gaze from one man to the next and then sighed happily turning back to Alec.

“Come along, Darling. We need to get you out of here,” he said cheerily, holding his hand out to where Alec still was laying in a puddle on the floor.

“But, what about…”

Alec looked to where the men with weapons had stood and gasped. They were all cowering on the floor, eyes wide in terror, mouth opening and closing with no sound coming out.

“Holy….what did you do to them?” he asked, then turned back to look at the man, “Who are you?”

He smile was a little reluctant, “My name is Magnus, I’m here because we picked up those men closing in on this area. They were clearly after someone, but we weren’t sure who. If you are truly alone in this shop, it’s possible it’s you.”

Alec’s stomach flipped like he just hit the first drop of a rollercoaster. Had they found him? Before he could ask anything else, he froze as he saw another man come out from the back of the store, weapon already raised and pointed at Manus. He must have been hiding in the back the whole time.

He didn’t have time to shout a warning. He just…reacted.

One moment the man was one twitch away from the trigger, the next the potted ivy plant that hung from the ceiling exploded in size, coming as a alive and terrifying as a pit of snakes and wrapping itself around the soldiers neck.

That’s when the rest of the plants in the shop started to react, sensing that their master was in danger. Vines grew long, wrapping around the throats of all the prone men on the floor. The leftover orange roses grew their stems out, thorns becoming large and razor sharp, inching across the floor and wrapping the wrists and ankles of all things considered a threat like barbed wire. Soon blood was joining the puddles of water on the floor.

Alec, he couldn’t stop them. He could see the blood, see the men’s faces turning purple, he knew he was killing them but he couldn’t get past the fear that he had been found. After all these years, they had come. They would find his siblings, they would be taken back. He could feel himself become drained, strength being sucked out of him by the sentient botany now doing it’s best to kill six men.

He could feel his vision turning gray…he could…he could hear a voice.

_“Hey, breathe! Breathe for me, you’re not in danger I promise. You did it, you saved us. You can stop. Please, stop!”_

Then he felt a calmness roll over him, a pure sense of peace. It was the safest he had felt in his life. He could feel as his plants slowly released the now unconscious men and retreated back to their pots, now sensing their master was now content.

Drained of everything he has left in him, Alec closed his eyes...


	3. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who commented! I've had a butt ton of anxiety over posting this story, but happy to hear people are enjoying it.

Chapter 3

“Jeez, Magnus. You were supposed to grab and go, let us handle the stiffs. What even happened in here?”

Magnus rolled his eyes from where he lay on the floor, cradling the beautiful young man who only moments before had turned this once charming flower boutique in to the little shop of horrors. Blood was seeping in to one of his favorite pairs of pants, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of the unconscious man in his arms. Maybe it was just Magnus feeling a bit indebted to the man who saved him from being shot in the back with a stunner? Maybe it was the pretty face? Maybe it was the lovely and complex emotions that seemed to swarm around the young man’s mind when Magnus did a quick mental glance earlier? How unfortunate that the Circle Corp goons had interrupted their chat.

“I don’t know, Samuel. Perhaps if you and Biscuit had gotten here sooner after I texted then this poor man wouldn’t have had to protect us,” Magnus snarked back at Simon as he tip-toed through the chaos of the store to get to his side.

Simon’s nose wrinkled as he took in the bloody wrists of the men on the floor, “He did all this? What is he?”

“Simon, we don’t use “what when talking about fellow mutants. It’s “who” or we’re no better than them,” came a deep voice emerging from the back of the store. Luke stepped in to view and immediately started checking for pulses. “He doing okay?” he asked Magnus gently when his eyes fell on them.

Magnus shrugged and lifted a hand to push back some bangs that had fallen into those closed doe eyes, “I’m not sure. He was a bit pale and sickly looking to start with, maybe having such a violent reaction with his abilities drained him further. I think we should take him back with us, call Catarina as well.”

Luke nodded as he straightened up from the floor. It was always a comfort to have Luke nearby, his calm presence was always enough to quell the nerves of his younger teammates. He had been their team leader for three years now. Since they had all begun to work together the success rate of finding, moving, and hiding their fellow mutants had skyrocketed. And Luke was a big reason for that success. 

“Where’s Clary?”

“She’s watching the perimeter for us,” Luke started to say when his phone started to vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and held the phone to his ear, “Speak of the devil….what do you see, Clary?”

_“There are two people coming towards you. Man and woman, street clothes. They’re almost at the door and they look worried,”_ came her soft voice through the speaker.

Before they  could even decide what to do, the people Clary spoke of ran through the door, twin clouds of fear and concern swirling in to the room.

“Oh my god, Alec!” the young woman shouted and dove to the floor, shoving Magnus roughly out of the way, “What did you do to him? Alec? Alec!”. She began to shake him, tears already forming in her lovely eyes.

The man that came with her was equally alarmed and angry. Magnus to practically see the emotions radiating off of the blond man like an aura. He reached out a leather clad arm to the closest stranger in the room, which unfortunately for Simon, was him.

“What the _fuck_ did you do to my brother?”

Simon floundered in the rough grip, hands shooting up in the air like a gun had been pointed at his face, "Don't kill me, please!"

Swiftly Luke stepped towards where Simon looked about ready to whisper a Hebrew prayer, “Hey, it wasn’t us. I swear. These men on the floor came to attack your brother, but he protected himself and Magnus here. If you don’t believe me, have your sister here listen to my heart,” Luke said as calmly as he could, both hands raised in the air as he moved in to the blond's line of sight.

The young man and women exchanged startled glances.

“What do you mean by that?” the young brunette asked, fear was starting to consume her mind. The fight or flight instinct that was synonymous with Ferals like her and Luke was beginning to swirl around her like a storm. Luke must have been able to smell what she was. So this “Alec” here wasn’t the only new mutant they encountered tonight. That also meant that odds were in favor of blondie also being…

Magnus did a quick dive in to the top layers of emotions surrounding the young man’s mind and felt that he was tensing up, like a cobra getting ready to strike. Not a feral, not enough raw instinct driving his emotions for that, but he did have something in his emotional aura that spoke of secrets. Probably an 80% chance of him also being a mutant.

He shot a burst of “caution” into Simon’s and Luke’s minds, letting them know not to disregard the man who had a death grip on Simon’s flannel shirt.

Luke gave a small nod in Magnus’ direction to let him know he got the message before continuing to speak to the newcomers, “I know you have no reason to trust us, but we’re telling the truth and we want to help. We’re like you.”

He finished a flashed his Feral eyes, the green orbs lighting up in the shadows he stood in. The young woman sucked in a breath, her own Feral eyes lighting up yellow in response.

“All of you?” she asked quietly, her hands still clenched in Alec’s shirt.

Luke nodded, “All of us. I’m a Feral, like you. Simon here is a Molecular. Magnus is a Psychic, and so is Clary, she’s watching the outside right now. And there’s more out there. We have friends who can help you all find a safe place. We’ve given people like you safe houses, away from where Circle Corp can find them. If you come with us, we can do the same for you. New identities, new home, new friends…”

“Listen, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know nothing about Ferals, or molecules, or whatever else you guys have going on. From where I’m standing, my brother has been safe up until you showed up. So if you don’t mind, we’re taking him and leaving,” the blond bit out, moving over to where Alec lay on the floor, scooping an arm under the back of his knees and another under his shoulders and lifting him up.

“Jace, maybe we should consider…”

“No, Izzy. We can’t trust them. We can’t trust anyone,” the man, Jace spat out and turned to walk out of the debris covered shop.

He didn’t know what possessed him, but Magnus made a step forward to pull Alec back but was met with a sharp hiss from the Feral as she slapped his hand away from her brother. Magnus pulled his hand back with a wince, inspecting his hand where her claws had emerged and cut in to his skin. He always forgot about those retractable claws Ferals often sported.

“What about your brother? He doesn’t look to great. Wait, I mean, he looks great aesthetically. Very good looking guy, honestly all of you look like you came walking out of a magazine or Calvin Klein ad, but I mean he looks sick. And if he did all this with the night of the living flowers, then he’s probably really drained. We have friends who are healers. We can take him to them!” Simon said in a rush, his earnest expression causing a brief moment of hesitation to flit over both Jace’s and Izzy’s minds, but it wasn’t enough. Both of them turned and walked away in to the cold.

Magnus sighed as he watched Alec’s legs dangled limply as his brother carried him away.

“Should I send a mental push, Luke? He looked like death…” he offered quietly, already knowing the answer.

“No. We can’t trick them in to coming to us. It has to be on their terms. If they ever found out…they would never trust us again,” Luke said softly, “The best we can do is keep an eye on them and be ready to bring them to safety.”

“So call in Maia for a track and monitor?” Simon asked excitedly.

Luke already had his phone out, speed dial tone filling the room.


	4. Nostalgic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some back story!

It had been over a week since they found Alec in his shop, surrounded by those who claimed to be like them, and still he hadn’t woken up. Jace was damn near out of his mind at this point and he knew Isabelle wasn’t far behind.

After they had left the shop they had run off to their back-up hiding spot, not feeling safe enough to return to their little room with their dirty mattress. For all they knew at the time, those Circle Corp men had tracked Alec back to there. All they had were the clothes on their backs and the few dollars in their pockets as they made their way to the small empty shack on the far end of the shipping docks. At least they had the foresight to stock it with a few blankets, a few cans of food and supplies. It would be all they had for a while. They couldn’t go back to their jobs now, not after Alec had been attacked at his shop.

The shack had holes in the walls that let in a cold wind every few minutes, making it very difficult for Jace to safely keep any sort of flame lit near the amazingly flammable room. The weather continued to be overcast and snowy, not a ray of sunlight spotted as they spent their days trying to get Alec to eat and drink.

One the fourth day of them hiding, Jace knew he needed to step out to find them more layers and food. He stopped by a few shelters he knew that would be handing out winter survival gear to the homeless, and took a garbage bag full of blankets, hats, gloves, and jackets. Then he charmed some of the volunteers in to giving him some hot soup to go in a thermos. The jackets weren’t pretty, and the soup was too salty, but they’d do.

On his way home he spotted one of their fellow “tenants” and slipped him $5 for any info on what was happening there.

The man smiled, only a couple teeth left in his face, and told Jace of how he saw the “landlord” show some military guys their room. He also saw as one of the guys place a wad of cash in to their landlord’s dirty hands, thanking him for the intel.

So they had been sold out by the very guy they were paying to keep them hidden. He was the one who had them go to Alec’s shop that night. He should have known. They couldn’t trust anyone.

Dejected, Jace had gone home and wordlessly fed the then lukewarm soup to his siblings as he dodged concerned glances from Izzy.

She had enough to worry about right now, she didn’t need to concern herself with his trust issues swirling even further down the proverbial toilet as he thought about all the sacrifices they had made for paying off those assholes. Alec didn’t deserve to be betrayed. He didn’t deserve to be hunted down like an animal and attacked in one of the few places he felt safe. He didn’t deserve to be laying here, still cold even under five blankets, and be fed nasty cold soup.

For a moment Jace’s eyes blurred with the tears that threatened to fall. He would gladly trade places with Alec right now if he could. He owed him that much, even if Alec would vehemently deny being owed anything.

It was because of Alec that Jace had people he considered family. That day, years before when Jace still called that monster ‘father’, changed everything he thought about the world. He had been eleven and had finished his treatment for a faulty gene that caused mental instability. To this day, he still wondered if the disease was a lie all along, and Valentine only used it as an excuse to play around with his body.

_11 Years Ago…_

_Children who were undergoing “treatments” were kept in a special facility, away from the adults building where they did who knows what to them. As far as Jace had known, he had never seen a single adult come back out of that building alive. At the time, he couldn’t allow himself to care. He wasn’t supposed to love or trust anyone besides his father. It had been drilled in to him as long as he could remember._

_“To love is to destroy.”_

_“The only family you’ll ever need is me.”_

_“Trust only your blood.”_

_“Nobody will ever love you.”_

_“You’re a freak, and I’m the only one who will ever protect you.”_

_So he kept to himself, ignoring the hundreds of other children who were herded through the white halls. If he didn’t talk to them, they could never hurt him._

_But he was lonely, something he would never admit to his father knowing it would earn him at least a slap. It was a weakness, to need companionship. All it would lead to was eventual pain and betrayal. Don’t give in to the temptation, he would tell himself._

_He was a freak. He knew it even before he accidentally set the ward on fire when some kids were playing with matches in the corner. The moment the flame sparked in to existence a mere ten feet away from him, Jace felt it. His skin tingled and his blood began to become hot, he loved it. It was the first time he ever felt connected to anything. A tiny bit of the loneliness cracked away, and he craved more._

_What he didn’t know was how the flame would channel his emotions, picking up on the desire for more of the lovely feeling. And so….the little match soon exploded into an inferno that brutally burned those children in the corner, and destroyed the contents of the room._

_He could still smell the burnt flesh even weeks after they ward had been rebuilt and the burned children had been healed back to perfection. Jace had asked how that was possible once. Valentine had told him, “Even freaks like you have their uses. We just happened to have a few with…less destructive abilities.”_

_So he was a freak and he hurt innocent kids. His father was right, who would ever want to be friends with something like him?_

_His fire was his only friend, but it scared him. Fire was all about destruction, pain, danger…was that all Jace was too?_

_He spent nights wandering the empty wards, a lighter in his hand as he flicked on a flame every few seconds so he felt less alone. And then one night, he came across Alec._

_Jace’s first impression wasn’t exactly kind. He saw gangly limbs of a child growing too fast folded uncomfortably under a scrawny frame. The boy had tears in his eyes that he was trying his best to stop, but the wet stains on his hospital gown showed that he hadn’t any luck at stopping them for a while. His first thought was “how weak” and it sounded like his father’s voice, but his second thought was, “I wish I could help him stop crying”. Jace didn’t hear his father’s voice that time._

_He took a step in to the room and the boy’s head of messy black hair shot up at the sound of someone approaching. And instead of scooting away, or yelling at Jace to go away…he offered a small smile and a wave._

_“Why are you crying?” Jace asked, voice rough._

_“Because I found out that my younger sister and brother have the same disease as me. They’re going to be brought here and they’re going to have to go through those painful treatments,” he sniffed sadly, eyes falling to a crack in the floor where some moss was growing._

_Jace’s nose scrunched up in confusion, “Why do you care if they go through pain?”_

_Alec shrugged, “Because I hurt when people I love hurt.”_

_“I don’t understand.”_

_Alec looked up from the mold to regard him a little more closely, “You’re that kid who set fire to the ward.”_

_Jace’s stomach lurched._

_“You felt something, when those kids were hurt. I know you did. Your eyes were sad for weeks after. It’s good, you know? That you felt bad. Means you care about others. My family is like that. They get hurt, I feel bad because I wish I could have protected them.”_

_Jace could feel the panic rising in his chest. This kid saw, he knew. If he knew than Valentine probably saw his weakness too. He didn’t want to be hit again. He shook his head hard, but the fear was consuming him again. He knew by now that fear made his fire erratic, unpredictable. What if he hurt this boy too?_

_He clenched his fists, and felt the plastic of the lighter in his hands. He flung it away from himself as hard and as fast as he could, terrified that he may twitch the wrong way and produce a spark._

_The lighter clattered to the floor in front of Alec, who picked it up gingerly._

_“Did you throw this because you wanted to scare me, or because you didn’t want to hurt me?”_

_Face white, Jace whispered as quietly as possible, scared that somehow his father would hear him in this abandoned and empty ward, “I didn’t want to hurt you.”_

_Alec smiled again, “I don’t want to hurt you either.”_

_Jace snorted incredulously, all the fear dissipating at the ridiculous notion that this skinny bag of bones may pose a threat, and it looked like Alec took a little bit of offense at that as he huffed from where he was on the floor, tears stopped finally._

_“I’m not totally useless…”_

_“Oh really?” Jace asked, skepticism in his voice._

_“I’m like you.”_

_That shocked Jace, no one was like him. Freaks were alone in the world, they didn’t have anyone to relate to._

_Alec rolled his eyes and waved his hand for Jace to move forward. And surprisingly, Jace obeyed despite not knowing why he was trusting this boy._

_“Check this out,” he said and pointed to the moss in the floor. Jace raised an eyebrow, but did as directed and looked at the plant. It was kid of soft looking, like a small bush, nothing spectacular, but then it began to grow. Soon little blue flowers started to emerge as the patch of moss became as wide as a floor tile. Jace smiled as wide as he could ever remember doing. It was just moss, but to Jace it was beautiful. This kid was able to grow something, he was able to give life to that small little thing._

_“I wish I could make something nice. All my fire does is ruin things,” Jace whispered._

_“I wish I could have something as strong as your fire. Then I could protect Izzy and Max,” Alec whispered back._

_It was something novel to Jace, never before had he thought that his abilities could be used for anything besides hurting people. But in just a few words his whole outlook had changed. Maybe he didn’t have to destroy? Maybe he could protect?_

_“My name’s Alec.”_

_“I’m Jace….Alec, if I protect you and your family, will you let me be your secret friend?_

Time Passed

_Alec and Jace continued to meet secretly in empty wards, spending nights practicing their abilities together. Alec seemed to have a natural fear of flames, something he tried his best to hide from Jace, but Jace understood it._

_“My father told me that instinct is something that is written in our DNA. If you’re part plant or whatever, it would make sense you don’t like fire,” he had said to Alec after he let out a yelp at a particularly large blast of flame._

_Jace had outdoor privileges, since his father was Valentine and all that, so when he was outside he would sneak plants and seeds in his pockets to bring back to Alec. He had been practicing growing and shrinking plants as a way of control but couldn’t find much he could do with an acorn that turned in to a sapling and a couple dandelion fluffs that turned in to little yellow weeds._

_“Great, if I ever needed to make an emergency flower crown for Izzy, I’m all set I guess.”_

_After Izzy and Max had arrived at the facility, it became harder for Jace to hide his joy at not being alone anymore. Izzy was strong and friendly, and Max was such a funny kid who thought his fire was “so cool!”. They accepted him without question or judgement._

_Before long, his deal with Alec went from him protecting them so they stay his friends, to him protecting them because he wanted to._

_However, like Alec had feared, his siblings started to undergo the treatments. Several long and painful months where instead of sneaking in to the empty wards, he and Alec would sneak in to his siblings’ rooms to hold their hands as they slept fitfully through the pain._

_Eventually, the treatments slowed, and with it they also began to change._

_It started small, things like Isabelle hissing when Jace tried to steal her bread roll as a joke. Max repeating things that no one his age should know or even understand._

_Then Izzy’s eyes flashed yellow at some kids who dared tease Alec over his latest growth spurt._

_Then Max said that they were making them freaks on purpose._

_Then Izzy accidentally cut a nurse’s hand with claws that suddenly sprouted from her finger tips when they tried to take Max away for another treatment._

_Then one night, four years after Jace had met Alec….Max whispered he knew the codes to break them out._

_After that the four of them began planning. It was pretty easy with Max’s ability to absorb knowledge from any unprotected mind. They had door codes, guard rotations, exits, and even an idea of the trails through the forest outside the facility thanks to one doctor who hiked a lot as a hobby._

_They set a night to put the plan in action, confident that they could escape without anyone noticing...but they couldn’t predict everything._


	5. Repentance

_8 Years Ago_

_Jace smiled to himself as he sat in his cot, playing with his lighter absently. They would be escaping soon. One more night! He could barely contain his excitement at the thought that he may finally be free of Valentine and this horrid place. He had friends who chose to bring him along!_

_Never in his short life had he felt such a warmth fill him, and it wasn't just his fire becoming stronger every day. He knew that it was from the strength he pulled from loving Alec, Izzy and Max, from them loving him back. For once Jace was letting himself have what he wanted without shame. And he wanted so much. Each night since Max had whispered the words that triggered their escape plan, Jace had begun to daydream of what his life could become._

_He dreamed of them living in a big house, with a big back yard to play in. There would be a garden for Alec where he would grow them fresh fruits and vegetables for meals and they would all laugh when Max's little nose scrunched up. There would be a library for Max, complete with arm chairs and a fireplace for all those long nights when Alec would read to all of them. And Izzy would would be thrilled to never have to wear hospital gowns as her daily wardrobe again because she would have her own walk in closet stuffed with designer outfits and shoes._

_And Jace would be happy because they were happy. He'd be happy as long as they were all together._

_He was so happy, he began humming out a soft tune he heard Izzy sing to them often on the rough nights after one of them had gotten another treatment._

_That’s when Valentine stepped in to his room, and Jace’s happy face crumpled in to a blank expression._

_It had been years since Valentine had last visited, the best years Jace could ever remember, and his sudden presence was like falling off a cliff. His stomach flipped, his heart started to pound, his hands turned clammy, and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and wait for it to be over._

_Valentine sauntered over to him, every step Jace took as another moment to collect himself, but his hands were starting to shake. Then Valentine's shadow fell across his cot and Jace raised his gaze to meet the man he hated with every spark he had in him._

_“Hello, Jace. How are you feeling?” he asked sweetly, but Jace knew the man didn’t have a sweet bone in his body._

_“Fine, sir,” he answered monotonously._

_“Excellent! I’ve been worried about you. I've been told that you’ve been making friends…” Jace froze, his whole body stiffened as Valentine came up behind him and placed both hands on his shoulders in a crushing grip. He felt Valentine’s hot breath on his neck as he leaned down to whisper in his ear, “I thought we had an understanding about how caring about others makes you weak?”_

_Jace didn’t respond. What could he say? Anything he said now would just make it worse. He shut his eyes tight and waited for the first blow to hit._

_But it didn’t come._

_Instead he heard shouts and scuffling from the hallway outside his door. Then the door banged open, the slam against the wall making Jace nearly jump out of his skin. He gripped the lighter in his hand almost hard enough to break it when he saw who came in the room._

_Four guards were holding Alec and Izzy by collars around their necks, their thin wrists and ankles were chained together already drawing blood where they cut in too tight. His friends were struggling as hard as they could, yelling and stomping at the guards when given the chance._

_And Jace couldn’t move._

_Valentine smirked and moved between Jace and his friends, casually ruffling Alec’s messy hair in a fake show of affection._

_“Such adorable friends you’ve made, Son. Very resourceful as well. I hear that you all were planning to run away together. Isn’t that sweet?” he asked no one in particular, “But the thing is, I swear I had warned you about how weak relying on others makes you.”_

_Without warning, he grabbed Alec by the collar and threw him to the floor in front of Jace. Alec let out a pained grunt as he hit the hard floor, his hospital gown becoming dirty with dust. He tried to push himself up with his arms, but Valentine placed a foot on one exposed hand and began to press down slowly. Alec’s breathing grew faster and harder until it turned in to a painful scream. He collapsed back down on the floor as he tried to pull his hand free. Isabelle began to howl as well, her pretty brown eyes filling with frustrated tears. She tried to reach back to scratch at the man holding her, but he slapped her across the face, stunning her momentarily._

_“Stop, please!” Jace yelled, tears already forming in his mismatched eyes._

_Valentine smiled wider, “Ah, so it’s true. You’ve begun to care for others, what a pity. Seems I’ll have to teach you a lesson. Who should it be? Who should be punished for your mistake?”_

_“Me!” sobbed Jace. He couldn't bear them being hurt in his place. The screams, hisses and groans hit him like punches to the gut, he just wanted it to stop!_

_He turned to the man he once called father with pleading eyes, but that only seemed to make Valentine even more angry. He sneered at Jace,“Tsk, not the answer I was looking for,” he said and removed his foot from Alec’s hand and let the guards pull him to his feet, “But it’s a moot point, I suppose. Fate has seen punishment doled out in it’s own way," he said, as if disappointed._

_Jace hiccupped, “What do you mean?”_

_He could feel dread start to consume him._

_Valentine’s sneer turned in to a sickly smile, “I mean that I don’t have to kill either of your little friends here because you've already lost someone. I heard only an hour ago that it seems that dear sweet little Max didn’t survive the treatment that was given to him this morning. Shame really, that boy was showing some remarkable skills, wasn’t he?”_

_Jace felt his words like a physical blow. Never had he felt pain like this before. His mind was screaming, but his voice was silent. Jace's dreams shattered. The little library he had in his head for Max turned to ash._

_He saw Izzy start to sob, her knees giving out under her as she screamed her little brother’s name. Alec lost all color in his face and looked on the verge of passing out or being sick. His eyes were already full of tears that began to stream down his face, dripping off of his chin. Jace watched as the first drop hit the floor._

_That was when was suddenly 11 again and walking through an abandoned ward. Jace remembered the first time he met Alec, how he was crying then too. Jace remembered what he had said to Jace._

_“Because I hurt when people I love hurt.”_

_“I wish I could have something as strong as your fire. Then I could protect Izzy and Max.”_

_Jace hurt now because someone he loved had been hurt. Never had he felt pain like this before and it wasn't even his physically. Back then he didn't understand what Alec had said, it was too foreign of a concept. But now it was clearer than day. He wasn’t at all like Valentine had raised him to be…and he was okay with that. He was more than okay with that. He was still strong. He could protect those he had left. He would protect those he had left._

_One flick of the lighter and Jace felt more connected to his fire than he had ever felt before. Instead of exploding in an inferno that would consume them all, it became like a molten ball of raw power in his hand. The room became hazy and distorted with the heat radiating from his hand_

_For the first time, Jace saw fear in his father’s face. It felt right. It felt good._

_The first ball was thrown at the guards holding his chosen family, their protection more important than getting even for all the physical and emotional anguish Valentine had caused him over the years. It blew the guards back against the wall, letting Alec and Izzy sag to the floor, finally released._

_Izzy was the first to jump up, grabbing for her brother's arm and pulling him off of the floor. Her eyes began to flash yellow, and her claws extended. She was ready to fight, but it was Jace's responsibility to keep them safe. He began to gather his fire again._

_The next ball was aimed at Valentine’s chest, slamming him towards the back of the room into a corner. A perfect circle of burned off shirt and blistering skin was exposed on Valentine's chest, but the monster remained breathing.  Jace thought for a moment about ending it all here, but he didn't want to be like his father. He wanted to be like Alec. He wanted to grant life..._

_The final ball was thrown at the feet of his once abuser where it fanned out in a semi circle around him, flames licking as high as his chin, trapped behind a wall of fire._

_Jace turned to the other two mutants, a question perched on his lips that he was afraid to ask. Did they still want him after he caused them to lose Max to Valentine? Did they hate him now?_

_Instead he said the words that Valentine had forbidden him to ever say to anyone._

_"I'm so sorry,"  he choked out, his whisper somehow heard over the roar of the fire._

_He waited for the hatred to form in their eyes, he deserved it. He even wanted it if it would help quell the ocean of guilt he was just beginning to drown in. It never came though. There were tears, and there was sadness, but Jace didn't see the hate. He was starting to feel like he'd prefer hatred over their sadness when Izzy reached a hand out to him. He watched as the sharp claws retracted, her hands suddenly going from weapons to the most gentle looking thing Jace had ever seen._

_"Come with us," she said._

_He wanted to reach back, but he couldn't move._

_Then Alec held out his hand too._

_"Please, we aren't losing another brother tonight."_

_Jace choked out a sob and finally the ice that seemed to have frozen his body melted and he ran to his siblings._   _Carefully  he melted the chains off of Izzy and Alec,  and guided them to the door. They were leaving now. They couldn’t spend another second in this hell. As they ran to the door, they heard Valentine’s voice, muffled by the flames but clear enough to ring in their heads for the next eight years to come._

_“I’ll be coming for you! You can’t hide from me!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Max! If any of you are wondering why I haven't gone in to super details about their time in the facility/the awful things that happened there/Max's death, that's on purpose! I want those types of things to come up in memories through the series as flashbacks and such.  
> So don't think this is the only Lightwood back story you'll be getting! I promise there is so much more. Haven't even touched on what happened to Maryse and Robert.


	6. Instinct

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all you lovely reviewers! Took me a few weeks to get over my anxiety for posting a story in such an passionate fandom, but I'm so happy I did!

Chapter 6

“He’s not getting better,” Izzy whispered.

It was the least scary way for her to say “he’s getting worse” without actually saying it. They knew though. Alec had gone from pale to gray in the last day, and his breathing was becoming more shallow and fast. The only medical stuff that they knew was from stuff they gathered from the nurses talking while at Circle Corp, but even Jace knew that this wasn’t normal.

“He’s been drained by overusing his abilities before, we all have. Usually some sleep and a snack and we’re back on our feet in a day. This…this is wrong,” he whispered back, afraid that being too loud may break whatever spell was keeping Alec in the land of the living.

Isabelle sighed and squeezed her brother’s hand where it hand limply in hers, “We should have taken them up on their offer.” She had been agonizing for days over this. She loved her big brother to the point of her heart nearly breaking at seeing him in this condition and she knew the same went for Jace. He and Alec shared a special bond that she knew she could never fully understand, however she was grateful for it nonetheless. Jace gave Alec a sort of confidence that he had never possessed when she and Alec were still living with their parents. Whatever burdens that Alec had placed upon himself in the past were shared between him and Jace now, and it let Alec's stiffened shoulders relax enough for him to finally breathe. 

The need for each other was mutual too. She could see how Jace clung to Alec like a lifeline, something to tether him to a world where he is no longer Valentine's little pet freak, but a trusted brother instead. Isabelle always found it a little odd in  its' ironic perfection how both of them had such conflicting abilities, yet still found a way to be each other's strength. Alec was Jace's anchor to humanity and normalcy, and Jace was Alec's shield from horrors of the world they lived in.

Watching as her adoptive brother agonized at not being able to help Alec was a torture that Isabelle had not felt since their days at the facility.

Jace swore under his breath, his face distraught, “We’ve been through this, Iz. We had no reason to trust them, we still don’t. And even if we did want their help now, how are we supposed to get in touch?” he responded as gently as he could with the frustration building in his chest. Sitting here doing nothing while Alec wilted away…it was just as painful as when he learned of Max’s death. Hopeless, helpless, useless…

Isabelle remained quiet, but she began fidgeting with the blankets tucked around Alec’s neck. After years of living in ridiculously close arrangements with her, Jace knew that this was one of her nervous ticks. He sighed and put an expectant look on his face.

She knew she was caught as soon as she glanced back at Jace. Her shoulders slumped, “Okay. You’re not going to like this, but I think I may know a way to contact them.”

She paused and Jace continued to stare, waiting for her to continue.

“I may have seen this other girl…like me, hanging around the docks. She isn’t dressed like a worker or a prostitute, and I can’t think of any reason why she would be hanging around here. That man said that they knew others like us, I think they told her to monitor us,” she finished quickly as she started to chew her bottom lip.

“And by ‘like you’ you mean all…”Jace made a soft growling noise and raised his fingers like claws.

Isabelle roller her eyes and nodded, “Yes, she’s…Feral? Is that what the guy called me?”

At the mention of the man, Jace softened his expression a bit. He did seem like an honest person. He had glowy eyes like Izzy, and he was running around with some other mutants who seemed okay. That guy with the fancy clothes had been holding Alec so tenderly when they bust in to the shop that it was possible that he actually cared. And that nerdy guy, he didn’t look at all like a mutant hunting asshole. More like he belonged in a college dorm eating stale fruity pebbles out of a dirty mug and playing video games.

But trusting that they were good guys was one thing. Trusting them with a weak Alec was a whole different thing. It was like deciding that you liked a certain baseball team versus placing your life savings on them winning the World Series.

He shook his head violently, “So what, you want me to go up to her and ask for help? Iz, I don’t know if we can risk exposure like that! What if she’s a Circle Corp agent waiting to find us! What if they just want to exploit us for their own purposes? Remember that other mutant we bumped in to and he tried to get us to join his thieving freak show?”

“Jace, we may not have any other choices at this point.”

_She’s right,_ he thought bitterly to himself. His baseball analogy was missing one vital piece of information. If you didn’t place your life savings down on a team, you’d lose it all anyway. He couldn’t lose anything else. Gently he brought his hand up to run his fingers through Alec’s hair, hating how dirty and sweaty it was but needing that tiny bit of comfort.

He knew what was holding him back from making a decision about what to do. He and Alec ran on emotions. It was what guided them, fueled their abilities, and how they chose their next step. If he had become the robot that Valentine wanted, Jace’s fire would have always remained a small flicker, a spark at best. It was emotions that brought fourth the flames that could take down entire buildings.

Just like it was probably fear that caused the violent reaction by Alec at the shop. Jace had seen the plants in there when he walked in, it didn’t take a genius to know that his brother had been the one responsible, as incredible as it was. Alec had done some pretty cool things with his abilities before, but nothing on that level. And if those agents on the floor were any hint, Alec had been scared. Rightfully so, and no emotion had a stronger driving force than fear.

In some cases, it was a strength. Jace could make his fire burst to life at a moment’s notice if he ever thought his family was being threatened. And then other times building his fire from emotion was a weakness, simply because emotions were so hard to control. All he had to do was think about how he lit up an entire ward just from feeling a little lonely to remember how tentative his control could be. Who could help being scared? Who could stop anger in its tracks? Emotions didn’t just disappear, they faded, they could be changed even, but they never just disappear. And right now, emotion was once again Jace’s downfall. Too many conflicting emotions were blazing in his skull. If he tried to bring fourth his fire right now it would probably be an dangerously undulating mess.

But Izzy was different. Her entire being ran on some sort of primal thing that had been added in to her genes when they spliced her DNA full of animal bits. Everything she did, from landing on her feet from a four story jump to leaving her scent on him and Alec before they left for the day, was purely instinct.

Jace was in no shape to make a decision, but Izzy could.

“Tell me what your gut says about that girl and those people…and I’ll follow your lead.”

* * *

 

Frankly, she wasn’t surprised that Jace was willing to let her go meet with the Feral girl. He knew as well as her that Alec needed help fast and they weren’t equipped to do anything even remotely medical where they were now.

It had been decided that she would go assess the girl and her intentions. If anything was off, she’d be out of there. If she thought things felt okay, the she’d go fetch Alec and Jace.

It was a simple plan, but that didn’t do much to quell the nerves that were wracking through her short frame. These were her brother’s lives she was holding on the line here. Izzy started to gnaw on her bottom lip again, fingers idly playing with the hem of her jacket.

For days now, she had been debating whether or not to pursue the feral girl. Of course, she wanted to get help for Alec. Her brother was incredibly important to them, he was their rock, or moss-covered rock really. He always put her and Jace first and most of the time they let him because…it felt nice to be cared for. Jace needed to know what unconditional love was like, and Alec could give it in spades. And Isabelle just needed the reminder that she still had some family left. Max dying was like having a bit of her soul ripped out of her chest, and it still ached to this day.

 Her most basic, primal instinct was to keep her family safe, and she had failed Max. How could she live with herself if she let it happen again?

It wasn’t just Alec’s condition that led her to this decision though. The small spark of hope she got when that man had offered them a safe home had now become like a blaring beacon in her head. She dreamed of a small, clean house. Enough food to go around. Alec letting his face relax for once, the small ever-present frown gone. Jace smiling easy and laughing loudly, not trying to muffle the sounds so as not to draw attention. It was such a tempting dream.

After she had spotted the feral girl a few days back, she had turned her nose to the wind to try and catch a scent, but she was good. The girl had positioned herself downwind of where Isabelle and her brothers were hiding and she couldn’t pick out a damn thing to identify her. So to find her again, quickly, Isabelle had to rely on the mundane people working the docks to see if they had spotted a girl in ripped jeans and Converse shoes hanging around that day.

And as luck would have it, the Chinese food place on the pier had served a girl fitting that description only three hours earlier. The old man behind the register pointed out the booth she had been sitting in and it was easy game after that.

One quick sniff of the booth on her way out, she caught several fresh male scents, but only one female’s. Isabelle began to track, and half hour later she found her out among the maze of crates. The girl spotted Izzy to soon and turned to run away.

“Why have you been watching us,” Isabelle called out at the quickly retreating form.

The girl stopped and turned back, looking a little defeated at being found.

They were both standing amongst stacks of crates and large metal shipping containers. It was a labyrinth and it was perfectly set up for Isabelle to run and disappear if the need arose. She relaxed her posture just enough to not appear threatening, and she saw as the girl did the same.

“Luke asked me to,” she stated simply, “I’m Maia. I’m a-“

“Feral. Like me,” Izzy finished for her, “Is Luke the man who offered us help?”

Maia nodded, “Yeah, that’s him. He helps lots of mutants like us. He found me years ago when I was struggling to control my abilities. He took me in and gave me a safe place to call home. I owe him everything, so when he called needing me to track down some fellow mutants I agreed.”

While Maia was talking Isabelle focused her ears on Maia's heart, waiting for any skip or fast beat that would indicate a lie. There was nothing.

“He doesn’t force you to use your abilities for him?”

Maia snorted, “Of course not. He’s not like Valentine, he would never force us to use out abilities against another mutant.”

Isabelle tried to hide her shock at hearing that name again, but Maia seemed to notice it anyway and at least had the decency to look apologetic for bringing up what was obviously a sore spot. She hadn’t heard that name spoken by anyone besides her brothers for years, hearing it said so casually by another was jarring to say the least.

“Why should we trust you?”

Maia seemed to think about her answer, her brown eyes searching Isabelle’s while she pondered. Maia had a bit of a hard edge to her, like a shield being held up constantly, but there was a warmth and concern in there too. Before she even heard the answer, she knew what her instincts were telling her about Maia, and Isabelle knew what she had to do.


	7. Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all so amazing! Time to continue the drama! Annnnngst. Give me annnngst.

 

To say that he was shocked to hear Luke tell them that the three young mutants from the week prior were now seeking out assistance would have been the understatement of the century. It would be like saying that Beyonce was only somewhat fabulous rather than being the ethereal goddess that she was.  It would be like saying that finding raisins in what could have been chocolate chip cookies is only a minor inconvenience. It would be like saying that moment when you’re struggling to put your change pack in your wallet while people wait in line behind you is not the most anxiety inducing activity ever.

Gross understatements.

While he was shocked, yes, Magnus was also surprisingly elated. He tried to tell himself it had nothing to do with big hazel doe eyes, or a shy smile. Why would he bother being excited about that when they were probably just being called so they could move the three of them to a safe house. Alec and his siblings would be in and out of his life within hours. Why let himself get attached? Alexander, for the whole ten seconds they talked, did not appear like a bed 'em and leave 'em type, so Magnus should just be able to shrug it off and move on.

They had driven as quickly as they could down the winding roads of the mountain, heading towards the location Maia had supplied. Simon spent the ride talking with Clary excitedly over some comic or another that had come out recently, but Magnus let the words just flow by him and instead soaked himself in the cheerful feeling the two were emanating. Luke seemed to be keeping his own emotions in check, not revealing anything to Magnus, which was fine by him. He was too busy keeping his own happy anticipation under wraps. Biscuit was sometimes for too observant for him and it wouldn’t do for her to ask what it was that was making him smile.

The elation remained until they arrived at the small shack where the others were in hiding.

Maia and Isabelle, Magnus had finally learned her full name, met them on the pier with twin auras of despair and it was enough to send any good feeling he had shattering to the wind.

“Thank you for coming. I really hope that you can help us,” Isabelle had said. Her words were rushed, it almost sounding like she was out of breath, something that almost never happened to a Feral. Magnus gave Maia a confused look and she shook her head sadly.

“They’re going to need Cat, Luke. And she needs to hurry.”

Luke didn’t ask any questions before he was off making the call for them and telling Simon and Clary to fetch the stretcher from the van. Magnus turned back to Isabelle and gave her as warm a smile as he could muster now that his insides were quickly turning to ice.

“My dear, why don’t we go see how your brothers are doing. Clary and Simon will be along in a moment,” he said. Isabelle nodded bravely and lead them through what seemed like a maze of crates. Magnus was lost barely a few feet in and marveled at how easily Isabelle navigated the path. She exuded a confidence that, for even one as self assured as himself, gave him a feeling of awe. Eventually she led them to some shack that could hardly be called a building with how many holes were in the walls and roof. He shivered just thinking about how cold they must be with the sea air making everything feel like ice hitting the skin.

They entered the shack, immediately being greeted by the sight of Jace hovering over a prone Alec, his hand ablaze with flame. At first Magnus thought that maybe the blond was going to try and attack Magnus, but when he reached out with his mind he didn’t feel any anger coming from the blond. Only fear and protectiveness directed towards the pale figure next to him. That’s when Magnus realized the flame was probably a weak attempt at keeping his brother warm.

Magnus moved slowly in to the room, as if a snarling bear was present, and made his way over to Alec. He didn’t know why, but his eyes began to burn as he took in the condition of the young man. He was skin and bones, his normally sharp cheekbones were standing out in an almost skeletal way. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent. He could tell that his siblings had been trying their best to keep him warm and help him get better though. From where he sat he could see plenty of blankets, burnt wood from warm fires, empty thermoses that once held soup he was sure, and Alec had been placed in the only bed-like thing in the whole one roomed shack. The thought that the three of them had been living in conditions like this made Magnus’ rage towards Circle Corp surge to life, making him clench his teeth hard enough to crack.

“Can you help him?” Jace asked, his voice cracking.

Magnus hesitated, but nodded anyway, “We will do everything we can. Lucian is already calling in a friend, a healer, to meet us back home so she can begin treatments right away.”

Magnus saw the twitch in Jace’s eye at the word ‘treatment’ and winced himself, knowing exactly what that meant to those who were subject to Circle Corporation’s experiments.

“Not those kinds of treatments, I promise. I had those done to me too, but I swear this is to help him.”

“I don’t remember seeing you at the facility,” Jace said, “I don’t remember any of those others either.”

Magnus nodded, “I understand, Lucian will explain everything later. For now, our focus is to get Alec better.”

The were some voices heard from outside and a few moments more and three figures appeared in the doorway. Magnus could hear Clary’s small gasp and Simon’s muttered curse. Honestly, he felt the same.

“Clary, why don’t you take a look and see if you can tell what we’re dealing with before we start packing him on the stretcher,” Luke suggested gently.

The redhead nodded and quickly moved next to Jace, not noticing how his eyes lingered on her a little longer than the others. She pulled her leather gloves off and raised a hand over Alec’s barely moving chest and a blue glow began flowing from her fingertips.

“You’re a healer?” Jace asked.

Clary winced, “Uh, sort of. Catarina let me copy her ability so that I could do field first aid in case of an emergency. Unfortunately my healing is much more limited than hers. Scrapes and bruises, I can handle. Missing limbs…you may want to go to her first,” she finished with a small smile.

Jace and Isabelle both were confused, so Magnus decided to take mercy on them, “Clary here is a Psychic like myself. Her talent has manifested in the copying of other mutants abilities. Very handy little mutation. All she has to do it touch another mutant and their abilities will become her own.”

“It would be even more handy except that, like with healing, it’s never a very strong version of the ability. Like we knew this one guy who could manipulate wind well enough to produce tornado conditions if he was in a bad mood. I had to hold his hand at one point to get him to calm down before he destroyed the building we were in, and that allowed a transfer…but, the best I’ve been able to produce from that was enough wind to cool down Simon after a work out,” Clary laughed, “It’s why I wear these gloves when around new people. I don’t like taking talents without permission when I can help it.”

The siblings seemed to accept this, and even appreciate it enough to relax their shoulders the tiniest bit. They watched avidly as the blue glow moved back and forth over their brother, eyes unblinking to the point that Magnus’ eyes started to water for them.

Magnus began to feel a sense of unease forming around Clary, and he held his breath as they all waited for her to speak. It was a bit strange, all of them feeling this level of concern for someone they didn’t know, but there was a bit of comradery and even perhaps catharsis that came with being a mutant. No normal human being could ever understand what it was like to be altered like they all were. Alec may not have been their brother by blood, but the sense of relation was there.

With a small whine, Clary pulled back the glow and placed her gloves back on her hands. The unease in the room grew.

“What’s wrong with him?” Isabelle asked from the far corner, arms wrapped tightly around her chest.

Clary turned to her, a look of sadness already on her pretty face, “I don’t know, honestly. He looks terrible, but I’m not sensing anything majorly wrong with him. No infection, no disease…but he’s stable enough to move, so let’s get him to Cat right away.”

So Jace, with the help of Luke, gently moved Alec on to the stretcher and carried him to the van. The ride back to the mountain would take a while, but Magnus prayed that for once in his life, Luke would stop being such a dad and ignore the speed markers and just gun it back home as fast as he could.

* * *

 

The fear and sorrow in the van was bordering on suffocation levels as Jace and Isabelle hovered over Alec, whispering soft encouragements and stroking limp hair. It was a tragic scene that Magnus wished he'd never had to see again.

The man laying there was so far from the sweet and awkward person he had met in that shop only a week before. His job that night had been to go in and assess the area for any mutants or Circle agents. It was a simple task that was usually given to Magnus because of his own ability to read any emotion a person was feeling, and he had enough practice at this point to be able to use those feelings to determine who was a possible mutant and who was the enemy.

Stepping in to the shop, he had been ready to work, but when he saw Alec…for a moment he forgot who he was and what he was there for.

He was beautiful on the outside for sure, but there was something else that had made Magnus pause. There was a warm feeling that Magnus got when he reached out to touch his aura. There was so much at once, such a complex swirl of emotions in the young man’s mind. There was fear, kindness, anger, shyness, sadness, loneliness, and love. So much love. His ability to love was so strong it overlapped everything else Magnus could see.

With so much love to give, Magnus couldn’t help but wish he could be the one to receive something so pure.

He was quick to snap out of his daze when his sweep of the shop brought up the sticky presence of what could only be an agent. Those drones always had a feeling of glee at the idea of hunting down mutants that always gave themselves away to Magnus.

His offer of going out for a drink was not thought out, and Magnus remained a little embarrassed at how forward he was. Of course, someone shy like Alec would be put off by such an abrupt offer, and by someone who was dressed as fabulously as him. Magnus drew attention with the way he dressed, he knew it, and he liked it. It was a sad attempt to get Alec to safety, but a small part of him wished for just a chance at keeping his interaction with Alec “normal” for a moment longer. Somehow, he thought that “Get out of here if you want to live!” would have ruined the mood for a possible date.

Then after Magnus had to project terror in to the minds of the agents to keep them at bay, he knew that there would never be a chance with Alexander after he saw that.

Who could blame him, really? Who would be able to love and trust someone who could manipulate your emotions with just a simple thought? It was impossible to look past that for long. Sure, some people in the past had made attempts, but in the end there was always the smallest bit of doubt that would grow over time to eventually lead to a messy break-up.

He once thought he found someone who could look past it entirely because she also had an ability to manipulate others with her mind. Surely, he had thought, she would understand that Magnus would never manipulate her in that way.

What Magnus never saw coming was Camille manipulating him.

_Alexander was too good for him_ , Magnus had thought to himself as the tall frame moved in front of his own, shielding him from the agent who emerged from the back. Then he saw the raw protective energy flare to life from Alec, awakening the flora around them and keeping them from harm.

It was a raw and unchecked response and it resulted in utter chaos, but as Magnus sat there one the wet floor cradling an unconscious Alec in his lap, he couldn’t help but think of how safe he felt surrounded by those vines.

He took that peaceful and safe feeling he had and gently projected it in to Alec’s mind, finally getting the young man to become calm. His effect on the plants was immediate, the vines and thorns retreated a few feet, releasing the bloodied agents from their grips. It was just in time before Alec used up the last bit of energy he had left to keep his heart beating. His body had been ready to die to protect them.

That night had been playing over and over in his head, and every time he was still amazed at what he felt coming from Alec. He would give anything for that feeling to come back, because right now all he felt from Alec was an empty abyss.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Luke’s voice shook Magnus from his darkening thoughts, “I’m fine. I’m just worried about them,” he deflected easily. He wasn’t sure if Luke picked up on the lie, but he didn’t say anything else, which was fine by him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Clary's ability was kind of a tongue in cheek thing for me. I always felt the books and TV shows gave her too many abilities, and as my own personal joke I decided....let's give her all the abilities! I made them severely limited though, because it would have been a very boring story otherwise. 
> 
> As for Magnus, I always felt bad for psychics in any fandom because in real life they would be shunned. Privacy is a huge thing for people, and anyone who could mess with your mind would raise red flags in any relationship. It's an amazing and tragic ability to have. Incredible power, but brings immense loneliness. Kind of like him being immortal in cannon.


	8. Confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to all the lovely comments, they always make me smile and race to my laptop to continue writing!  
> I figured it was time to explain the different types of mutants, how they work, what makes them tick, etc. Hopefully it all makes sense????

 

The roads that led up to the mountain were a mess of turns, dead ends, and hidden paths that would confuse anyone who didn’t have a compass built in to their head. It was the perfect place for them to have a home base for the team. Out of sight of planes, cameras, drones, and away from any mundane human homes. It allowed them to exercise their abilities without anyone being able to hear or see anything.

Eventually the van turned off of a main road on to a dirt path that was hidden behind a thick red oak tree. They drove for another five minutes until they reached a small clearing where Luke parked the van next to a few other various vehicles and motorcycles.

Everyone piled out of the van, Isabelle and Jace looking in awe at the trees around them. Before Isabelle, Alec and Max were turned in to lab rats, they had lived in a fancy house in the city with their parents. Jace had grown up around one of the Circle Corps campuses. They had never seen nature like this before. Their brief glances had always been from the flowers that Alec would grow for them to put a smile on their faces or from the city parks. While they didn't possess the same affinity for plants that their brother did, they could still feel the vibrant life that flourished around them.

The clearing was completely shaded by the canopy of tree branches that hung above them, casting the area in greenish-golden color. It made everything look so serene.

Isabelle glanced sadly at her brother, knowing how much he would have loved this forest.

Once again, Luke and Jace grabbed an end of the stretcher and carried Alec from the van towards what looked like the side of a cliff. As they got closer the rock face suddenly faded in a ripple of light and a large bunker door stood before them.

Jace and Izzy looked over at the others in confusion, making Clary smile smugly.

“Cloaking, another little thing in my bag of tricks.”

What greeted them on the other side of the door was awe inspiring. Someone had built the world’s most aesthetically pleasing bunker in the side of a mountain, and it was stunning. The ceiling was so high it almost looked like there wasn’t a roof. Large windows that went from the floor up 15 feet were present on one whole side of the large room that greeted them, the other side was a solid rock wall that was clearly part of the mountain the house was built in to.

Natural light lit up the room in a healthy glow, highlighting the features within.

There was a large circular pit in the center of the room, a large fireplace in the middle with couches arching around piled with plush pillows. There was even a freaking waterfall along the stone wall that fed down in to a stream that went through the room, small wooden bridges and rock stepping stones scattered to move about the winding water.

The whole room gave off a sense of peace and serenity that they had never felt before.

“It’s nice, huh?” Simon asked, jolting Jace and Izzy out of their twin stupor.

“Nice? This is incredible! How did this even get here?” Izzy asked excitedly.

“That would be my doing, I’m afraid,” came a voice from the right side of the room where a man with gray hair walked in from a hallway. Next to him stood a lovely woman with dark skin, a kind smile on her face.

Luke moved up to greet them, “Thanks for coming, we got a sick kid here who needs Cat’s magic hands.”

“Well then let me see what I can do,” Cat said warmly and gestured for the crowd to follow her.

They moved down the hallway led by the gray haired man. Ragnor, as he introduced himself, talking about all the features of the house as they walked on.

Green energy, completely cloaked using patent technology, dojo, plenty of bedrooms, the waterfall was a natural spring coming off the mountain…it was clear he was happy with the house he built.

“How did you build this place?” Jace had asked at one point after hearing about the retractable helicopter pad in the roof.

Ragnor sent him a wry smile, “Well, do to some poorly reviewed investment and job choices choices on my part, I made a ridiculous amount of money from Circle Corps. I was one of their sponsors as well as one of their top researchers, but I had no idea what they were truly doing to all those poor people until after I had made my billions. I had planned to pull out and expose the company for what they truly were, but then I bumped in to Luke here and he convinced me to stay quiet and use my money and connections to instead fight the Circle from the inside. So I hired a friend, who knows how to keep his mouth shut, to build this place for me with all the bells and whistles we could possibly need for the work we do.”

“Why would you try to stop him from exposing Circle Corps?” Isabelle asked, suspicion swirling around her from where Magnus stood.

Luke sighed sadly, “Because exposing them would also expose us mutants. Knowing the world is how it is, we would be rounded up like cattle by the government and locked away for the safety of the general public. The best way we can help fellow mutants, is to give them safe houses with new lives where they can live normally. Well, as normal as anyone with superhuman abilities can do.”

Ragnor finally turned and a frosted glass door slid open to reveal a large medical room. There were all kinds of devices spread around the room, but the most prominent was what looked like a comfy dentist chair in the center of the room.

Catarina gestured for them to place Alec in the chair and gently as they could he was laid down.

“What’s kind of mutation does he have?” she asked as she started looking him over.

Izzy and Jace shared a glance before Izzy spoke up, “Uh, he can make plants grow.”

“He’s an Elemental. Botanopathy,” Luke said after Catarina sent him a confused look.

She nodded and focused back on her patient quietly, her hands glowing blue like Clary’s before. Silence filled the room as they waited, but eventually the silence became uncomfortable. There were so many questions that Jace and Isabelle still had that in a monumental effort to ease the suspense, Izzy finally spoke up.

“You keep using these terms, elemental, feral…what are those?”

This time Magnus stepped forward to take on the explanation, grateful to distract himself and others from what was happening to Alec a few feet away.

“Of the mutants to come from Circle Corps, they all seem to fit in to four categories. You have the Ferals, humans whose genes were spliced with animal DNA. They run on instinct, have extraordinary physical capabilities and senses. Depending on what animal species was used for the splicing, there are sometimes other quirks and abilities that come along, and they all have eyes that can shift in to their animal type. Maia and Lucian here both were dosed with canine DNA and have pack-like tendencies. We met a reptilian Feral once who could camouflage himself. And, if I’m not mistaken, you may have some feline DNA influence?” he asked Isabelle, who blushed and nodded.

Magnus nodded and continued, “Ferals are probably the most common since it was easiest to use living creature DNA on another living creature. The second type would be Moleculars. These mutant’s DNA was placed in a constant state of flux that somehow they can control themselves, and sometime other things, down to the atoms. For example, one mutant we met could alter the density of his body at will. Going from as solid as a rock to almost a vapor. They control their abilities through logic, knowing what they want and exactly how to achieve it. And another example,” Magnus moved over to where Simon stood fiddling with a nearby computer and slapped him on the shoulder, “Silas here can clone himself and some objects by taking anything of approximate equal mass and forging it in to whatever he pleases. Be it a copy of himself, or a jacket he lost and was too afraid to tell me where it went.”

Simon blushed, but didn’t say anything back to deny the less than subtle accusation.

“Then there are the Psychics, incredible beings of immense power and style,” Magnus stated proudly, earning several eye rolls from around the room, “Our altered genetics allow for greater connection between the physical and mental states of our bodies because the blood brain barrier that normally is present in all humans, was altered by our treatments to allow us to bend our minds like you would bend your arm. Removing that barrier allowed for a large range of mental abilities to manifest. Like Catarina here, she is able to visualize the workings of the body and stimulate natural curative reflexes to react faster, resulting in rapid healing,” he said with a flourishing gesture to where Catarina continued to work over Alec’s still form.

Magnus quickly glances away again, clearing his throat before continuing in a little more of a subdued manner, “Clary here uses her Psychic ability to locate a recreate the abilities of others, manipulating her own DNA to reflect that of others. And my own ability lies in Empathy, the sensing and projecting of emotions.”

"What runs you?" Jace asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't follow?"

Jace rolled his eyes, "You said Ferals run on instinct and Moleculars on logic. What runs you?" he asked again, challenge in his voice. The Psychic chose to ignore the protective stance that Jace was taking in front of his brother. 

Magnus smiled in an almost predatory way, "Desires. We visualize what we want and it happens."

“That’s really cool,” Izzy said, a sharp elbow delivered to Jace's ribs as he continued to frown in Magnus' direction, “But where do Alec and Jace fit in?”

Magnus smiled and tapped her on the nose, “They are Elementals. Mutants with the ability to project their energy into another thing with a similar wavelength. They are the more complicated ones since they range so greatly in what they can manipulate. I’ve seen people control water, rock, air, plastic, metal…Alec here must have been given some genes that make his body function in a way that allows him to reach out mentally and physically to plants. Maybe some plant genes were thrown in there too. But one important thing to note is that elementals can never pull the energy for their element out of nothing. It has to have a source. Alec works with seeds and grown plants, he can’t sprout vines out of his fingers I’m assuming.”

Jace nodded, “I can manipulate fire. I can’t make it on my own, but once it’s there I can make it do whatever I want,” Jace said quietly, as if waiting for someone to run away when they heard what he could do.

But Clary, in all of her unfaltering kindness and blissful ignorance, smiled over at the blond telling him, “How freaking cool is that!”

"And what makes us tick?" Jace prodded, this time a little more kindly, but he already knew the answer for the most part.

"Emotions," Magnus supplied quietly, "The stronger the emotion, the more powerful the reaction from their element."

The tension in the room had eased for that moment only to be restored when Catarina finally looked up from Alec.

“Okay, I’ve finished.”

Izzy and Jace stared at Alec, but he still looked just as awful as before. Confused and a little angry, they turned back to Catarina.

“Why isn’t he better? I thought you said you could fix him,” Jace bit out in a growl.

“Hold up there, tiger. I fix injuries and illnesses, neither of which Alec has going on right now. I do however know what is wrong and how to fix it,” she said in a firmness that only a seasoned nurse could pull off while still looking kind.

“Alec here does indeed have plant DNA mixed in there, and because of that he needs some special care that I’m guessing none of you knew about, including him,” she said as she began to move around the room gathering supplies.

“What do plants need in order to live?” she asked the room.

Simon raised his hand eagerly, “Oh! I remember this from science class back in elementary school! They need water, sun, oxygen, and food.”

“Correct! And what do they eat?”

“Sugar?” Clary offered.

“Correct again! In the most simplified terms, anyway. So tell me, when was the last time Alec got some decent sun exposure?” She asked, this time addressing Isabelle and Jace directly.

Izzy’s forehead wrinkled as she thought about it, “It’s been cloudy the last three weeks. And he hasn’t been outside since we moved him to the shack, and that was done at night.”

Catarina nodded encouragingly, “Okay, that explains that. When was the last time he had a full meal? Did he eat anything sugary recently?”

Jace shook his head, “He loves sugary things, but we’ve haven’t had a lot of extra money for treats and food in a while. He had three sugar packets a week and a half ago, but our meals have been kind of limited.”

“Then I think our problem is his glucose levels are in the pits right now and he entered a hypoglycemic coma. If we get some food in him he may begin to perk up,” she said and started to set up an IV drip.

“We’ve been trying to get him to eat soup and drink water this whole last week though!” Jace shouted, not liking that it sounded like they didn’t try to care for Alec.

Magnus could feel the despair and guilt forming around the two of them and stepped in, “I’m sure you all did everything you could to help. You have to remember that he wasn’t in the best of shape the week before the attack. Expending that much energy in one go when his reserves were already depleted probably put him too deep under for normal means of food and water to pull him back. You all probably kept him alive by what you did.”

“Magnus is right, you can’t blame yourselves for what happened,” Luke said gently, resting a fatherly hand on Jace’s shoulder in a sign of comfort, “Give Cat here some time to treat Alec and he’ll be awake in no time.”

The two of them nodded, eyes fixed on their brother’s face.


	9. Relief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to all you lovely amazing people! Heading in to some fluff chapters, but I promise plot will come back soon!

 

After Cat had done all she could for Alec, she retreated from the room promising to check in again in the morning. The others also slowly left the room one by one, as the hours stretched on until the only ones remaining were Isabelle, Jace and Magnus. By now the sun had set and the room was only lit by the lights over Alec's prone form.

The three of them moved chairs up to where Alec lay, careful not to bump in to the glucose IV or the UV lamps that Cat had set up for him. Magnus didn’t know why he felt so compelled to stay, but he could tell that Isabelle was thankful to have another person around to talk to and keep her mind off of darker things.

Jace wasn’t as grateful, but he didn’t ask Magnus to leave either.

The Feral and Psychic first passed the time talking about fashion and their favorite brands of make-up until they noticed how bored Jace had become and switched it to more interesting things. Magnus had so many incredible stories he could tell them about his adventures on this team. Isabelle seemed fascinated by the science behind the abilities of mutants, and even though Magnus didn’t know all the gritty details, he tried his best to share all the knowledge he could with her.

Jace on the other hand perked up at the daring rescue tales that Magnus shared. There was an emotion that sang out to Magnus from the blond, and he wondered if Jace even realized that he was feeling a sense of longing.

Magnus had seen and felt the wonder and amazement of the two as they saw this place for the first time. It was the same one he’d seen time and time again as they brought mutants here for various reasons. However, none of the other mutants had as deep of a longing feeling upon seeing this place they called home. Isabelle had described to him where they had been hiding for the last few years, and Magnus could fully understand why it was that these siblings needed a home more than any other mutant to come before them.

While he had not come from a stellar childhood with silver spoons and all that, he had always had a roof over his head and warm clothes to wear. The same could not have been said about these three.

If Magnus was surprised at the protective impulse he had towards Alec, he was even more astounded to feel that same impulse now also directed to his siblings. In the few short hours that Magnus had spent with them in this room he had felt a similar ‘goodness’ to the one that drew him to Alec in the first place. Perhaps not as potent, but present nonetheless. Magnus found himself wanting to give these three anything they asked for. He would spoil them like he would if they had been stray cats that showed up on his doorstep.

After Isabelle yawned for the eighth time, Magnus had smiled gently and directed her towards the hospital style bed in the corner. After a few protests and urging from both Jace and Magnus, she finally agreed to rest for a bit. She was the easy one, Jace was a little bit more of a challenge.

“You know you should also get some rest. Can’t have Alec waking up to his brother looking like a Feral racoon. Those dark circles have been getting darker with every passing minute.” he teased, earning a small smile from the blond, but he shook his head.

“Not yet. I don’t want him to wake up alone.”

Magnus snorted, “Am I not someone? I swear I won’t move from his side until you wake up.”

As Jace shook his head again, Magnus held back any more suggestions. Now that they knew his ability he had to be very careful to not appear like he would push until he got what he wanted. That’s when trust issues came into play, and even without his abilities Magnus could tell that Jace had trust issues to rival that of his own.

So they sat in silence. Jace had leaned forward in his chair, one hand grasping his brother’s limp fingers and the other propping his own head up on the armrest. His emotions became fuzzy and it was only a few minutes more before his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. Magnus smiled and got up to gather some blankets, placing one on each of the three siblings as they all slept.

For another hour or so, Magnus kept his vigil at Alec's side. While he was pleased to see some color return to the young man's face, he couldn't help but get  nervous as it seemed that he would be waking soon. Would Alec even remember him? Would he panic at being in an unknown place? Would he assume Magnus had tricked his siblings in to coming with him? He had seen what Magnus did to those agents, would he even be able to trust him at this point?

Alec certainly wouldn't be the first mutant they had rescued to react badly to being in the presence of a Psychic. Honestly, with the copious amount of trust issues that Jace and Izzy had Magnus was already flabbergasted that they hadn't grabbed their brother and run by now. Maybe they would run as soon as Alec was strong enough...

Magnus sighed and shook his head, as if trying to shake off his negative thoughts. It wouldn't help to review each and every nasty scenario, it would only stress him out. He would just sit and wait for Alec to wake up and then he'd go from there, he decided. After he made that decision it was only thirty minutes later when he was tucking in a corner around one of Alec’s shoulders when he glanced up to see a pair of big hazel eyes looking back at him.

“Well, hello there. Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Magnus whispered.

Alec seemed to stare for a moment before his gaze shifted around the room, taking in the sleeping forms of Jace and Izzy and the various medical appliances. There was a momentary feeling of fear spiking as Magnus saw his eyes catch the IV, but then Alec saw the label "GLUCOSE" on the bag and seemed to relax slightly.  His eyes fell back on his siblings, probably double checking to assure they weren't also hooked up to any suspicious IVs. Once he seemed sure they were safe and untouched, he relaxed and turned back to Magnus who grinned at him in what he hoped was a friendly way.

“I bet you probably don’t remember me,” Magnus started.

“I remember you,” Alec stated firmly, but not unkindly.

Magnus nodded, “Well that’s not overly surprising I suppose. I do tend to stand out. As mutants we have to spend so much time hidden away, I feel it's a shame not to make some sort of statement the few times we show our faces. Some people even would say I’m a bit much,” he joked weakly, but Alec frowned a little in confusion and continued to stare back at him.

“You’re not too much. You’re just…you. I remember you.” He said simply, but it nearly stole the breath from Magnus. There was no sense of judgement or wariness from the man on the bed. 

An incredulous chuckle burst from Magnus’ mouth and he gently went to pick up Alec’s hand from where it lay, “You continue to amaze me, Alec.”

His face scrunched up even more in confusion, but he didn't seem put off about it, "Really?", he looked utterly baffled, “In good ways, I hope” he whispered back. Finally he tore his gaze away from Magnus and back to where his siblings were, “Are they okay?”

“They’re perfect. Worried about you, but once they see you awake I’m sure they will be over the moon. I know I am, you had us all scared for a moment.”

Alec sighed and nodded that he understood, “Can we let them sleep a bit longer? I don’t want to wake them up just yet. They look tired.”

“Of course, my dear. I made no promises to wake them, but you’re going to have to back me up on that when they inevitably become cross at me. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Magnus couldn’t help the warm that seemed to be spilling out of him.

“Now, Alec. Is that short for Alexander? What should we talk about to pass the time?”

* * *

 

Two days later saw Alec sitting on the edge of one of the hospital beds, his longs legs twitching with impatience as he waited for Catarina to finish up her final assessment. He had made remarkable progress in that time, already able to walk on his own and fully capable of dressing himself as he kept reminding a hovering Isabelle. Thankfully, Catarina had excused everyone from the room while she completed his physical, allowing Alec to dress himself.

His siblings had rarely left his side after he had woken up, no surprises there. They had always been like that since they had escaped from the facility, living in each other’s back pocket. Sometimes it had been annoying. Like how Izzy had a terrible habit of leaving her wardrobe everywhere around their tiny room. Sometimes the proximity had been perfect, like when the loneliness became too much for any one of them to handle alone.

He knew his siblings both appreciated and hated the arrangement as much as him. Jace would disappear for a night to warm some other girl’s bed when he got a little fed up. Izzy did that sometimes too, but not as often. Mostly she would just linger at the mall she worked at a few hours longer than her shift required, trying on clothes she could never afford.

When Alec wanted space, he went to the park. It was difficult for him to duck and hide from the hundreds of cameras on the way there, but it was worth every scrape on his knee and every leaf in his hair when he got there and could breathe in the life around him.

The trees there were nice, and the small gardens littered around the grounds were also pleasant. Alec had loved being among the peaceful flora. But, being here in this house literally built in to the heart of a mountain was a bliss he had never experienced before. He may not have been able to step outside yet, but he could feel the life around him in every fiber of his body.

The trees here were so much older and carried a sturdiness that Alec had never felt before. The wild flowers were not stifled by the edges of a garden, they flourished and spread in a freedom that was new to him. The idea of leaving this forest brought a pang to his chest every time he thought about it.

Luke had visited a few times during his recovery, talking to them about their choices for relocation. He was trying to find a secluded area for them, as close to nature as possible for Alec. But they would still have to be wary whenever they left their assigned safe house.

Alec hated that they would still have to hide, but it was the best they could have ever dreamed before this.

Luke hadn’t been the only one to visit them during his recovery. Some guy named Simon had stopped by, talking just a little too much for Alec, but he and Jace let him linger since Simon and Izzy seemed to get along great.

Then a redhead had shown up, Clary, who drew Jace’s eyes in a way Alec had never seen before. His jealousy had reared slightly at Jace smiling at anyone other than his siblings, but he squashed it just as quick when he realized that it meant Jace was opening up for once with a new person.

Out of all his visitors, none perplexed him like that of Magnus Bane.

The Empath had started their interactions with a nervous excitement, spending hours sitting with him and telling him stories while his sibling slept in the corner. It was nice to be able to talk to someone new for once, and it was even nicer that the new someone was as incredible and interesting as Magnus. Alec had just assumed that Magnus was just an amazing person who was kind enough to give Alec some attention.

Then their next few visits, Magnus began flirting. And not the subtle flirting that Izzy was a pro at, fluttering eyelashes and hair twirls. No. This was Jace flirting, with innuendos and winks being tossed around like confetti. Alec was both equal parts confused and flattered.

At first he thought that maybe it was just a Magnus thing, but he paid attention to how he talked to Jace and Izzy, and to the others he lived with. He would give them flattering compliments, and everyone had some term of endearment used on them at some point.

Alec was a bit of a hopeless mess when it came to things like flirting and romance, but even he could tell there was a bit more behind Magnus’ casual intrigue. Maybe there was something there between them, but Alec couldn’t get involved.

He was getting better, and they would be moved to a safe house before long. He needed to focus on settling his siblings in to a new home and he needed to learn everything he could from Luke on how to keep them safe.

“Okay, you’re looking much better! I’d say you’re free to leave the infirmary, but don’t try any field trips away from the house. I want you on your feet for a few days here before you are sent to the safe house Luke is setting up for you three,” Catarina said as she started to put away her supplies.

Alec didn’t need to be told twice. He thanked her and almost ran from the room, only pausing when he got out in to the hallway and realized he had no idea how to get around this place. Izzy had told him about it, but he had yet to venture out of the infirmary.

Behind him he heard Catarina come through the doors as well, chuckling and looping her arm through his, “Don’t worry. Let’s go find Magnus and he’ll give you a grand tour. He’s been dying to show you around.”

Alec blushed and nodded and let he lead him down the hall in to a gargantuan room where everyone was sitting around in various places. Jace and Clary were by the fireplace where he was showing off some of his fire skills while the redhead watched in awe.

Simon and Luke were talking animatedly over a tablet, the words safe house popping in and out.

And Izzy was sitting on a small bridge over a stream that ran through the room, Magnus sitting beside her with their legs dangling out from between the slats, toes almost touching the water. It was Izzy who spotted him first.

“Alec! You’re up!”

The others stopped what they were doing and grinned over at him. It was strange to have so many people acknowledge them after doing their best to be invisible for so long. Jace and Izzy got up from where they were and made their way over, pulling him in for a strong hug that left him breathless and a little teary eyed as they held tight. He knew he had scared them, but knowing they cared so much for him was always moving. Behind them Magnus also came sauntering forward, gently smiling as he probably knew exactly what was going through his head.

“So what’s the word, doc? He going to live?” Jace asked, grin consuming his entire face.

Catarina returned the smile, “He’s going to be fine. Just make sure from now on that he gets out in the sun often, drinks plenty of water, and to never skip a meal. And he’s the only person I would ever say this to, but sugary snacks are a good idea for him. Especially after using his abilities in excess.”

“So make sure to water our Alec every day?” Jace smirked.

Isabelle let out an un-lady like snort, “And make sure to place him in direct sunlight for several hours a day.”

“And feed him every five year old’s dream menu,” Magnus finished, his entire face lit up in amusement.

“Am I really that….plant-like?” Alec asked, dismayed. This would be nothing but joke fuel for the rest of his life.

“I don’t know, dear. You do seem to give off…tree vibes,” Magnus joked as he eyed Alec’s impressive height.

The Elemantal buried his face in his hands, muttering out an emphatic, “Oh my god," that pulled peels of laughter from the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally, omg.


	10. Fondness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like crack to me at this point. You guys are the best dealers. Here's another fluff chapter, I promise that plot is on the way soon! I'm trying to update every monday and friday, but next week I may miss both as I am flying home to Boston! We'll see, maybe I'll get one posted before my flight.

After the multitudes of teasing had died down, Magnus offered a tour to Alec. It was a half courtesy, half pity thing on Magnus' part as he watched Alec's face turn several shades of red in the last few minutes. The young man had only just gotten out of a coma, perhaps all that blood rushing to his lovely cheekbones was not the greatest idea.

With a blush still painted all the way up his neck, Alec accepted eagerly, wanting to escape with the small bit of dignity he had left. After Jace's latest exceedingly inappropriate joke about pollen season, Alec needed an excuse to hide for several hours minimum. And if it meant he got to spend a bit of alone time with probably the most incredible person Alec had ever met, well...he obviously wasn't about to complain. Gently Magnus had linked a silk covered arm through Alec's and guided him out of the crowd and down the hallway, talking all along the way. His voice a soothing balm after the rough excitement from his siblings.

While the main room had been incredible, it didn’t overshadow the rest of the house in the slightest. Magnus had shown him a lab, a kitchen that looked like it fell out of some home decor magazine, and then there were the bathrooms. Alec wasn't mentally prepared to comment on the showers. He'd seen tv remotes with fewer controls. One of Alec's favorite stops had been the dojo, complete with traditional flooring and hologram projections for them to practice on.

“Not to mention the specially built walls to handle many different types of abilities, like Jace’s. I do believe this place is 100% fireproof,” he said.

“Well that’s good, I guess. If he wants to practice at all before we leave," Alec said, kicking himself mentally when he saw Magnus' face fall a bit.

Magnus deflated a bit at hearing about Alec’s inevitable departure. He would be sad to see Alec go. In the last few days while visiting the young man in the infirmary, Magnus had been unable to do anything beyond further confirm his belief that Alec was still unbelievable. He was the perfect mix of stern and kind. He was a bit reserved, but sometimes when he spoke the words were so profound that they blew Magnus away.

“Do you practice your…”Alec waved his fingers around his temple, “empathy thing in here?” Alec asked, desperate to change the topic and bring that carefree smile back to the Psychic's face.

Magnus chuckled, “I practice hand-to hand combat with the others mostly. Luke wants to make sure our bodies are just as strong as our abilities. I’m sure you’ve noticed that every ability comes with a weakness or two. In case that weakness ever gets exploited, he wants us to be able to protect ourselves in a pinch. I prefer not to use my ability in any threatening way towards my friends. I usually just wing it when I encounter an agent. As for my sensing of emotions, I have modeate control over that. It’s just as natural to me as just looking at someone’s face at this point.”

Alec nodded his understanding as he walked over to the wall, pulling a knife off of the display racks and inspecting it. Magnus watched as those long elegant fingers ran over the weapon with a familiarity that only comes with years of practice.

“Do you have a weakness?” Alec asked suddenly, startling Magnus from his finger oriented daydream. He looked up to see Alec's eyes catching his own with an intensity that he rarely saw outside of a bedroom. The question would normally set off warning bells, however Magnus could see from his aura that there was nothing sinister to it, so he shrugged casually and answered with his normal bravado.

“That, my dear, would be classified,” he said with a wink.

Alec snorted, “Classified? You’re not just afraid to tell me?”

“The only things I’m scared of are acid wash jeans and Simon handling my laundry.”

He didn’t seem to buy it from what Magnus could tell. He watched Alec put the knife back up on the rack, turning back so that they were both completely face to face only inches apart.

“What are you really afraid of?” he asked.

Alec gave him a pointed look and Magnus felt no malice behind it, so he sighed and ducked his head, “I am afraid of being alone. That people will learn about my mutation and eventually leave me because they fear my abilities,” he answered as carefully as he could.

Alec seemed to absorb the information, letting it play through his mind as he viewed it from all angles. To some it would seem if Alec was a bit…slow. In reality however, he was just one who liked to think before he spoke. A trait that Magnus wished more people had.  Perhaps Simon could take some notes.

A soft sigh escaped Alec's lips and he turned his head to gaze out the glass wall that looked out over the forest below them. It was sad to him that someone with as much charisma and kindness as Magnus would fear people judging him solely on his mutation, but Alec could not blame him for his fear. Humanity had let them both down before he was sure. 

“I’ve found that if people abandon you because they are afraid of something, they usually weren't worth keeping around in the first place,” he said quietly, his eyes staring off in the distance. Magnus didn’t need his empathy to sense a haunted feeling around Alec. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who had been abandoned in the past. He quickly put up a damn as a flood of memories of past lovers and lost friends threatened to consume his mind, the only thought that made it though the barrier was a single name. Camille. 

“I’m afraid of fire and Izzy’s cooking,” Alec said suddenly, and just like that Camille's name evaporated out of his head.

Magnus barked out a laugh and the heavy atmosphere lifted, “Well then, let me show your gorgeous skinny self back to the kitchen where you can find anything you need to cook a full meal your sister hasn’t touched. Lunch time is coming up and I believe that Simon did the shopping last, so the pantry should be stocked full of all kinds of confectioneries that should appeal to you. I swear, he shops like a kid who's just about to pull an all nighter in college.”

* * *

 

After stopping in the enormous kitchen for a snack of cookies, jerky and soda, Magnus continued to lead them along the hallways, pointing out this or that. There were basic things that he breezed by, but to Alec those basics were things he had dreamed of since they began hiding.

A laundry room, not a bucket full of water and stolen hand soap. A library with a fireplace and plush chairs. Separate bedrooms for each person who lived there, plus some guest rooms. Even more mind-blowing was that each had their own bathroom suite, Alec had thought the one Magnus had shown him earlier was for the whole house to share. There was even a movie room that Magnus said doubled as a pre-mission meeting place.

Then there were the even more not so normal house features. Like the warehouse that held several helicopters, a small jet plane, boats, bikes, and cars of all sizes. There was a surveillance room with a computer that scanned the internet for any “supernatural” things that had happened so that they could try and find other mutants. Another computer was purposed towards any chatter or movement of Circle Corporation.

Magnus told Alec about how some safehouses were designated towards the same cause, finding and protecting mutants. They may not have been a search and rescue team like Luke's group, but each house had their own special tasks. Catarina lived with several others in a house that focused on mutant recovery and rehabilitation. A friend of his, Raphael, ran a house that was geared towards unconventional investigation talents. And Maia was part of a house that excelled in monitoring and surveillance of mutants as well as Circle agents. It was because of her team, Alec learned, that they knew agents were moving in on his shop that night.

Eventually they moved on to what Magnus had declared as one of his favorite rooms. With a flourish, he opened a door to reveal what looked like the inside of a snow globe, only this room was full of lush green plants and the spherical view was of the interior of the forest. You could hear birds chirping, a stream trickling, wind blowing through the leaves. On the floor were several large square flat pillows that had him glancing at Magnus, question perched on his lips.

“It’s a meditation room,” Magnus said softly, as if the room called out for lowered voices, “Originally it was meant as a place for Psychics to learn focus, but over time and through much trial and error, we learned that all mutants need to get in touch with their minds and bodies. So at least a few times a week Luke requires us to spend an hour in here, meditating. I don’t mind, I love it. Truly helps me find inner peace when I feel lost.”

Magnus glanced around the room fondly and waited for Alec’s mouth to close.

“It’s beautiful,” he said finally, awe coating his words.

As Magnus stared at the young man’s handsome profile, he couldn’t help but agree.

* * *

 

The tour finished eventually, leaving Magnus a little disappointed when he thought that Alec would now want to go see his siblings. It was only natural, from what they had described to Magnus, they were hardly ever away from each other long. He was about to lead them back down the hallway to the main room when he realized Alec was no longer beside him. Confused, he turned back to see Alec looking out the glass walls of the hallway with what was probably the most intense look of longing Magnus ever had the pleasure of seeing in or out of the bedroom.

“Alexander?”

“Can…can we go outside? For just a minute?” he asked, hope danced in his eyes

“Oh, yes, of course. Just promise me you won't tell Catarina. Let me show you,” Magnus said and took Alec by the arm, gently prying the tall man away from the window.

Magnus wasn’t much of an outdoorsy person, he preferred the creature comforts in life. A nice robe, quick access to his drink bar, his silk bedsheets…to him that was the ideal. However, watching Alec move about the forest made him rethink his own simple pleasures.

Alec moved through the trees and shrubs almost reverently, his hands hovering over everything but not quite touching. There was a mist in his eyes that brought a lump in to Magnus’ throat at the sight. Usually in moments like this, there was a call for some privacy, like hanging back a few feet, but because of Magnus’ gift privacy was hard to achieve. He would usually have to walk in to a different room if someone wished to be alone with their emotions, it wasn’t a personal thing, it was just common courtesy.

However, for all his many strengths, Magnus didn’t have the power in him to move away. Alec truly was a sight to behold, but his raw open emotions at something as simple as being in a forest was what stuck Magnus’ feet in place as if he was one of the trees whose roots had taken place hundreds of years before.

There was joy, elation, peace, and contentment all radiating off of him like a bright light and Magnus was a mere moth drawn to it. Alec was reveling in the presence of the trees, and Magnus was reveling in the presence of Alexander.

Eventually there was a sour feel that crept in and broke the spell that had surrounded the Psychic and he finally moved closer to where Alec stood at the base of a tree where some wild flowers were growing. His eyes crinkled in affection when he noticed how the flowers seemed to perk up in the tall man’s presence.

“Are you alright? If you’re tired we should go back inside. Catarina would have my skin if she knew I had caused you a relapse,” he said gently.

Alec sighed and stood up, “I’m fine.”

Magnus snorted, “I know that you are a very intelligent man, Alexander. One of the many things I find unbelievably sexy about you. That being said, you should know how amazingly stupid it is to try and lie to a Psychic.”

Alec huffed out a laugh, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to lie, I just…I’m sad that we’re going to have to leave. I know Luke is trying to find us a nice and safe place, and I’m sure it’ll be fine. I probably just am overreacting to being around trees for the first time since I was taken to the Circle Corps facility. It just feels so right here, for once I feel like I could maybe belong. Does that make sense?”

It did make sense. Pragmatically, that’s how most mutants felt the first time they were amongst their own. Magnus had seen and felt it hundreds of times now. They find out that they aren’t alone in a world that would happily see them locked away and they feel like for the first time in their lives things aren’t so bad. However, Magnus couldn’t shake the feeling that this time it was something a little more profound in Alec’s words. Maybe it was his own loneliness singing out to another who felt the same yearning to find a place or person they felt safe with.

Sometimes it was difficult for Magnus to differentiate someone’s emotions from his own. It usually happened when those around him were feeling the same emotions and it would all form one large chaotic cloud of energy, but in those tragically rare moments when he found himself truly connecting to someone it was less of a swirling cloud, and more like a rope tied to him and the person. A sort of psychic link where it was a compatible energy shared and everything felt more controlled, more peaceful. There wasn’t a rope here at this moment, but there wasn’t really a cloud either. Magnus tried not to read too much in to that and instead focused on the yawning man in front of him.

“You’ll always be welcome here, Alexander. Now let’s get you inside. I’ve got a room picked out for you,” Magnus said and led the sleepy Elemental inside.

* * *

 

Hours after the Lightwoods all went to their respective guest rooms fro the night, the house’s normal inhabitants all found themselves gathering in the living room. It wasn’t uncommon for them all to migrate there after dinner so they could talk a bit before heading to bed. Luke had a firm belief that their team would perform better if they had bonding time and this was as good a way as any.

Clary and Simon sat on the couch, a deck of cards precariously stacked on the cushion between them as they played a very animated game of Go Fish.  Luke and Magnus had chosen to sit a healthy distance from the two others, knowing that the best friends could quickly turn to enemies during card games. Magnus had lost count of how many pillows had been lost to the fireplace during their little spats.

Thankfully Clary had once exchanged abilities with a water elemental, otherwise they may have already burned the entire house to the ground.

“Oh my god, Simon there is no way you can be this far ahead! You must be cheating!”

“How can anyone cheat at Go Fish?”

“Your talent is cloning things, you dork! If I counted all the cards right now, I bet you all of the donuts you got for Izzy that there will be more than 52!”

“I got those special for Alec!”

“Yeah, right! He requested pink frosting with extra sprinkles?”

“Take your heteronormativity and leave it at the door, Fray. Maybe he really likes strawberry flavoring.”

“I was literally standing right there when Izzy told you her favorite kind of donut. Maybe you just didn’t notice because your glasses were fogged up from you panting all over her!”

“Maybe you misheard her because you were too busy stroking Mr. Fire Lord’s ego!”

“Children!” Magnus called over the din, effectively cutting them off, “We have guests, one of whom has super hearing and another who is trying to recover. Maybe try to keep it down? I don’t want this turning in to another incident like the great fire of Easter 2017. As much as I’d love to redecorate for the fifth time, Alexander happens to hate fire and I think he’s been through enough the last few weeks.”

Magnus didn’t turn to see if they had listened, but in the short silence that fell after his berating he started to feel suspicion and amusement creep in to the room. He groaned and braced himself for what he knew was to come.

“So…Alexander, huh? You and he getting acquainted, Magnus?” Clary asked. Without looking he knew that she would have a smug grin on her face.

Ever since that day that Luke brought Magnus to his home and introduced him to the little redheaded girl, he had thought of Clary as a little sister. He had watched her grow from an awkward child with a taste for art, into a beautiful woman with the inner fire and strength of people ten times her size. He loved her fiercely, but like with most siblings, he also hated her for knowing him so well.

“I am just being my normal welcoming self, Clarrisa. Don’t go reading in to it so much,” he warned, but if Clary Fray could be summed up in one word, stubborn would be his top choice.

He felt her move down the couch towards him, the sixty card game of Fish forgotten.

“You can’t fool me, Mags. I’ve got a bit of your empathy, you know I can tell when you’re attracted to someone,” she teased.

“Yes, very clever. I’m also attracted to Hugh Jackman and Gal Gadot, but you don’t seem too interested in that.”

“Hugh Jackman and Gal Gadot aren’t in this house, or in the bedroom across from yours,” Simon pointing out with a grin.

_Of course they would gang up on me,_ thought Magnus bitterly.

“I wouldn’t be too smug, you two. I’m pretty sure my nose is picking up a lot more than just one source of pheromones going crazy in this house,” Luke said, “Some more familiar than others. Honestly I’m tempted to throw all of you in the shower so I can have a break from it all.”

“That sounds like a lovely idea!”

“Separate showers, Magnus. Very. Separate.”

It was moments like this that Magnus loved, those times when it really felt like he was with family. Meaningless teasing, jokes, violent cards games, some dad in the corner pretending to be stern. It almost felt complete, he just wasn’t sure what was missing.

A heavy sigh erupted from where Luke sat, the older man gently putting his tablet to the side and rubbing a weary hand over his face. He took his job as team leader very seriously, and it did weigh him down, Magnus could feel the weariness grow in him year after year. It probably wouldn’t stop until every mutant had been accounted for and made safe.

Simon and Clary also picked up on his frustration and their young faces turned serious.

“Is something wrong, Luke?” Clary asked softly.

Luke shrugged heavily, “Yes and no. I’m having trouble finding a house that fits the needs of all three of them. Alec needs to be near nature. Jace needs fresh air and open space he can use to release pent up energy while still remaining hidden and not starting a forest fire. And Izzy needs to have more people around so she can have satisfy her social needs. I’m a bit concerned we may not be able to provide the perfect place. If they were separated, we’d be fine, but I know they would never agree to that.”

“So what do we do?” Simon asked.

“They’re probably going to have to stay here bit longer,” Luke said carefully, and hid his smile when he saw three pairs of eyes light up.


	11. Burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot!!!!!! We're finally getting back to plot!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Dr. Elias, how are you?”

“I am well, Mr. Morgenstern. Have you come to check in on the database?” Elias asked formally, but he knew the answer. Valentine Morgenstern only ever came here for one reason, and that was the database.

He and Ragnor had been working on it tirelessly for six years, rebuilding everything they could from the scraps of code left behind after Morgenstern’s old partner had released a killer virus code into their mainframe. The virus had erased every name, every treatment, every detail that had to do with the people who had come to their corporation to take part in their genetics program.

To add insult to injury, the virus collapsed the security of every facility they had leading to a mass breakout of every test subject. Only a few had been caught since. Elias didn't ask what happened to those who were brought back, he truthfully didn't want to know. Morgenstern had been adamant that their property be returned to Circle Corp before any more damage could be done by the escapees. It was difficult enough to keep silencing all the journalists who insisted on posting all the supernatural happenings that had kept popping up since the subject had hidden themselves in the general public.

For the better part of those six years, the two of them had been locked away in the archives warehouse, digging through whatever papers they had to supplement the database with until the code was fixed. Unfortunately the papers were only marked with test subject numbers and no names. Paper was rarely used in this technological age, so they had been fortunate to at least have that to work off of.

Elias was sick of this dark, moldy warehouse. Sick of the aisles and aisles of shelves filled with banker boxes of paper. He wanted out of Circle Corp, and now that the database was done, he could leave it all behind. He felt dirty giving over all those names not knowing what was in store for them, but he had been paid extensively to fix this code and it was enough to keep his focus. He had just enough money to disappear with, out of reach of Valentine Morgenstern, and live happily for the rest of his life.

Finally, they were done with it. A mere two hours after Elias and Ragnor had confirmed the data and place it on a hard drive, a car had driven up with Valentine and his ever present body guard, Starkweather.

“So, what is the status of the database? I’ve been very patient, and I’m hoping to hear some good news,” Valentine said. The threat was thinly veiled in his words. Behind him, Starkweather stood a little straighter, subtly announcing his presence.

“Dr. Fell and I were able to complete the reversal of the virus logarithm two weeks ago. It’s taken up until now for the computers to process, but it just finished a few hours ago. All the deleted data has been recovered,” Elias said in a rush, relieved that after so many years he could finally pry himself from under Valentine’s ever angrier glare.

“And where is it?”

“Oh, Dr. Fell was placing it in a locked briefcase for you, just like you wanted. He should be back any minute.”

For a moment Valentine looked confused, but then his face turned to one of rage, “I never asked for a locked breifcase. Where is Fell? Tell me where he is!”

Starkweather cursed and moved forward fast, one hand grabbing at Elias’ neck, slamming him into the nearest wall, the other hand was raised in a fist. Elias’ eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the raised fist turn to stone.

“I don’t know, he moved to the back of the building with the hard drive! I swear that’s all I know!” Elias gurgled around Starkweather’s hand.

“If that’s all you know then you aren’t of any more use to me. Mr. Starkweather? If you’d be so kind, we have some damage control to attend to,” Valentine said curtly and turned to walk away, pausing before tossing over his shoulder, “If Dr. Fell has been working against us all these years, any information in here is probably corrupted. Take care of this warehouse as well. Ta ta.”

* * *

 

Ragnor watched from where he hid in the rafters, gripping the hard drive in his hands as he watched Valentine arrive with Hodge. He had been hoping for more time to sneak out the back before they arrived, to be miles away, but Elias must have called them sooner than anticipated.

He had to bite his fist to keep from crying out as he watched Hodge crush Elias’ neck in his stone fist. Ragnor hadn’t been particularly fond of the selfish man, but nobody deserved to be killed in such a way.

Dumping the now limp body to the floor, Hodge turned and started knocking shelves one their sides, a mess of cardboard and loose papers scattering in the room. Still Ragor stayed where he was.

Then he saw a single lit match tossed and Hodge leaving the building.

“Well that’s not good.”

* * *

 

 It was lunch time and Simon was working double time as it was his turn to produce the meal for everyone. 

Jace, Isabelle and Alec watched with large eyes as Simon created a clone of himself, the double coming to life in a blur of molecules in a few mere seconds, and then set his twin on mayonnaise duty.

“Does it talk?” Jace asked, looking very uncomfortable as the clone moved silently around the kitchen.

“It’s a him, and we call him Slimon,” Clary stated firmly.

“Is he slimy or something?” Alec asked, disgusted at the thought.

Magnus laughed and placed a warm hand on Alec’s shoulder, “No, Slimon is short for Slave Simon. More often than not, when Slimon is made it is for a chore that Stephan here doesn’t want to do. And no, he doesn’t talk. He doesn’t feel, or react or do anything besides what he’s told. It’s honestly quite disturbing sometimes.”

The original Simon sighed exasperated from where he was stacking on the cheese slices, “Please don’t call him Slimon. I’ve told you it makes me feel self-conscious!”

Izzy’s eyes trailed after the clone, “What do you do with him when he’s finished his task?”

“He won’t stick around long. My ability limits the existence of anything I clone. Since I piece together molecules from a similar mass, not necessarily a similar compound, it makes the clone super unstable structurally. A strong hit could bring down a clone easily, but usually they just fade away after some time. The smaller the thing I clone, the longer it lasts because there isn’t as much mass being forced in to awkward shapes. The bigger and the more complicated the clone, the less time it has before collapsing. A clone of myself is big and it’s complicated, so it’ll only last about ten to fifteen minutes,” Simon explained happily, loving any attention Isabelle gave him.

“One strong hit, huh?” Jace asked, and punched the clone in the face. Immediately the clone shattered out of existence, the chair used to make him clattering to the floor along with the mayonnaise knife he was holding.

“Aw, man! Now I have to make another one!” Simon whined.

 Behind him Luke came in the kitchen and walked over to the table, “No you don’t, you’re going to make the meal without Slimon.”

“But it’s like practice, right?”

“Not when it comes to my lunch. Slimon puts too much mayo in his sandwiches. I’d like to eat something that doesn’t gush out white goo whenever I take a bite,” Luke said firmly but then noticed the stifled laughs from around the room and thought back on what he said.

“You all are disgusting. Keep your raging hormones out of my kitchen,” he said as his phone started to ring. He answered while the others in the room continued to giggle.

Magnus was the first to notice the change in Luke, his aura going from a calm happiness to alarm and concern.

“Where are you? Can you get out? Ragnor?!”

Everyone froze.

Luke slammed his phone shut, “Clary. We need a portal as close as you can get us to the archive warehouse. Ragnor is trapped inside, the place is burning to the ground. We need to get him out now!”

Isabelle gasped. Magnus stumbled where he stood, but Alec was quick to right him.

“Luke, is there any way we can help? Maybe Jace can help with the fire?” Alec said, his hands still holding on to Magnus.

“That’s a good idea, everyone should come. We don’t know what we’ll encounter there,” Luke said quickly, moving the others away as Clary came around the kitchen taking a stance before the cleared area.

She raised one gloved hand in front of her, moving it around in a circle. Before them a large orange glowing hole seemed to appear in the air before her, the center looking like the static on a broken TV screen.

She turned back to all of them. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

They arrived in a heap on the pavement thanks to the three siblings not being used to the disorientation of portal travel. Normally Magnus would have bee thrilled at having the tallest Lightwood sprawled on top of him, but his mind couldn’t focus on that at this time. Not when Ragnor was in trouble.

Regrettably he shoved Alec off of him with a grunt and shot to his feet, moving next to Luke who was already scanning the area.

“How far away are we?” Magnus asked.

Luke nodded off to the left and moved to start quickly pulling other others to their feet, “Half a mile East of here, I can smell smoke. We’ve got to move fast.”

They all took off in a sprint, Luke and Izzy leading the pack with their enhanced speed. The team leader was pleased to see that her brothers were not only keeping up, but were pulling out ahead of Simon and Clary. Magnus was keeping stride between the others, a dark look on his face.

Luke turned to call out over his shoulder to the others, “Isabelle and I will run ahead and assess the situation. If we think we can get to Ragnor on our own then I want Clary and Jace on fire control once you arrive. The rest of you keep an eye out for agents. Magnus, you’re second in command. Alec, if you aren’t recovered fully then I want you to hold back.”

After everyone acknowledged his orders he turned to Isabelle, whispering under his breath so only she would hear, “Is Alec going to be okay? Magnus mentioned an issue with fire.”

Izzy nodded after a pause, “He won’t let his fear hold him back if someone is in trouble.”

Luke nodded his acceptance of that and the two Ferals started to run as fast as their superhuman bodies would take them. Soon they came upon the building, immediately skidding to a halt when they saw just how terrifying the fire had become.

The whole building was aflame, black smoke filling up the air around them like a putrid breeze. The door they could see was already filled with flames blocking their only entrance in to the warehouse.

“Can you smell anything?” Isabelle asked beside him, her sensitive eyes watering up already.

Luke cursed, “Nothing but smoke. Even if we could get in, I wouldn’t be able to track him down fast enough.”

Behind him, Luke heard the others arrive, panting and cursing as they caught sight of the building. He glanced behind and let out a heartfelt “shit” when he saw 12 agents closing in on them.

“They must have been told to keep an eye on the place,” Simon gasped out between breaths.

“What do we do, Luke?” Clary asked, her red hair moving in the breeze a visual reminder of the flames weaving behind them.

“I can find him, I just need someone to get me inside the warehouse,” Magnus said quickly. It would be easy, just follow the fear, as sick as it made him feel to think that one of his dearest friends stuck and terrified in a burning inferno.

Luke seemed hesitant, knowing how bad it would be to physically enter the building without enhanced physical abilities, but he couldn’t think of a better way to track Ragnor in this mess. He turned to Jace where he was standing between his brother and sister. The three of them looked so young, but he could see plainly how bad they wanted to help.

“Jace, do you think you’d be able to hold back the flames from us if we move through the building?” Luke asked, trying not to sound like he was trying to demand something beyond the young man’s ability.

Luke could hear Jace’s heartbeat start to race and Magnus could feel the self doubt surge around him, but he nodded sharply, “I’ll do my best.”

“Okay, let’s move then. The rest of you try to hold back the agents as long as you can! Clary, be ready with a portal the second you see us coming back out of the building!” Luke shouted.

Jace and Magnus stepped forward, but were stopped by a hand grabbing their arms. They both turned to see Alec, panic and worry so clearly drawn on his face that Magnus didn’t need his powers to know how badly this was affecting him.

“I know I can’t stop you from doing this, so just please be careful in there and come back. _Please_ ,” he begged.

Jace offered a weak smile, “Don’t worry about me. Watch yourself out here. Show those guys the meaning of flower power.”

“And you show that fire who’s boss, Heat Meister.”

They clasped their hands against each other’s wrist before quickly pulling away as Jace turned to head over to the door with Luke

Magnus watched the exchange, feeling the underlying emotions fly between them and marveling at them and wishing he could share in that. He also turned to run over to Luke when a hand stopped him again.

He turned to meet Alec’s gaze, “You too. I want you to come back safe too.”

Magnus didn’t know what to say. He was feeling a thousand things at once. So he just gave a sharp nod and turned to head in to what looked like the pits of hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, coming up on one of my favorite chapters...


	12. Anxious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from vacation! Sorry about posting a bit late, I got a cold on the flight back and have been in a lovely haze of meds since. I will try and post again tomorrow to get back on my normal posting schedule. Thanks for all the comments!!!!!!!!

 

As much as Jace wanted to help, now that he was looking at the literal wall of flames in front of them he was beginning to have some serious doubts.

Part of his ability was being able to sense a fire’s presence, to assess and manipulate its’ energy. With Alec’s plants he could encourage them to grow, regress, move. Like Alec, those plants had a calm and controlled energy about them and getting them to do his bidding was easy. Fire on the other hand, it was wild, it was uncontrolled, and it was violent. Trying to rein in an already uncontrolled fire was no easy task. It wasn’t a fire caused by his emotional outburst, it had gotten to it’s state naturally. There was no emotion that Jace had to quell in himself in order to gain control.

So how the fuck was he supposed to get this under control?

He could feel Magnus behind him, his own emotions running so high that even Jace could feel him losing control and leaking out some terror for his friend. And that wasn’t good, if his terror fed in to Jace then he could make this worse.

Jace could feel his heart begin to pound.

“Magnus, I need you to focus on finding Ragnor. Don’t let your own fear get all mixed up in there, okay?” Luke said calmly. Then he turned to Jace, “I know this seems impossible, but there are ways for you to use your abilities outside of emotional influence. It takes practice and time, which we don’t have right now, so I’m going to ask Magnus to give you a boost. I think it may help. Alright?”

Jace nodded stiffly, “Okay.”

Jace saw Luke whisper into Magnus’ ear and Magnus nodding and moving up to him with two fingers raised to his temple. A second later Jace’s mind was filled with a sense of utter peace. It was beautiful, he just wanted to float there for eternity, but Luke’s voice drifted in to the peripheral parts of his head.

“That’s good, Jace. Now take that same energy around you and share it with the flames.”

The flames before him at the door suddenly shrunk down to small licks clinging to the doorframe rather than filling it. Jace could see in front of him though that the interior of the building was still raging. His doubt started to creep back, but he felt Magnus push again at his brain with a peaceful wave.

“Just walk forward, follow where Magnus goes, and you’ll keep the flames away from us enough to move through.”

Jace did just that.

It was slow, not because Jace’s controlled radius wasn’t working, but because of all the other factors they faced. The heat was enough to make Jace worry that any skin exposed would start to blister and peel at any moment. Embers floated around them like devil spawned fireflies that would seer your skin when they touched and they tried to swat away like biting mosquitoes.

The smoke was the worst though. It felt thick and dirty as they moved through the warehouse. The backs of their throats were coated and raw within moments and it took all his self control to not reach on to his mouth to scratch out his own windpipe.

All three men had tears streaming down their faces in the first minute from the smoke filled air. Then they all began coughing soon after that, to the point where Magnus wasn’t sure if he was even breathing anything at this point. He was already beginning to feel dizzy when he felt they were finally at the strongest place where Magnus felt Ragnors’ fading terror.

Magnus could tell that his dearest friend wasn’t going to last much longer. The all-encompassing fear he had felt when they first arrived had dimmed down into almost unconsciousness by now. But Magnus was sure that where they stood was the strongest point, yet he did not see Ragnor.

“Where is he?” Jace shouted and then broke down in to a fit of coughing.

“I don’t know, I don’t understand he should be right here!” Magnus shouted back, wincing as an ember landed on his arm burning his jacket and the skin beneath.

They all looked around them, they saw the once shelves all over the floor, now half ash, but they didn’t see how anyone could be alive if they were amongst the flames.

Then Luke looked up, his sharp eyes catching a flash of color up on the ceiling.

“Shit, he’s in the rafters!”

* * *

 

**Back Outside**

The remaining four gathered to stand in a pitiful excuse of a barricade as the twelve agents started to move in on them. Any worry for their friends and family in the fire was pushed aside as they face a more immediate concern.

“Uh, don’t suppose you guys know how to fight?” Simon asked as he took a nervous stance, his eyes darting over the encroaching men.

Izzy snorted, “Please, I was made to fight.”

“Any of them mutants?” Alec asked as he dropped into a half crouch.

Clary let her mind reach out over the agents, “I don’t feel anything from them that would indicate a mutant.”

Alec nodded, “Then Izzy and I will take the six on the left. You two take the six on the right.”

With a leap that would make any Feral jealous, Alec jumped at the first agent, his long legs kicking out at the man’s chest with enough force to send him sprawling to the pavement.

Isabelle let out a pleased growl and dove for the agent who was lifting his stun gun at Alec after seeing his comrade go down. With the grace and ferocity of a leopard, she jumped clean over the man in a backflip to land behind him where she crouched low to sweep out the man’s feet from under him.

_Claws are out now, bitches_ , she thought to herself with a purr.

Of course they could fight, you don’t live on the streets since you were a teenager and not learn how to protect yourself. Even from their first weeks when they were living in an alley using an old refrigerator box as a shelter they learned fast how dangerous their lives had become.

The fact that all three of the were “pretty” teenagers just exacerbated the whole situation. When it came to those without a home, a lot of people don’t take no for an answer. After the third time Jace had burned people to get them to back off, Alec had made the decision for the three of them to invest their meager dollars in a gym membership to become stronger. The showers there were just a perk.

Izzy learned to control her strength, but also learned her physical limits when the gym security camera “mysteriously” got covered by some ivy that grew out of nowhere. Jace had an outlet for his energy and anger. And Alec worked as hard as his body allowed, sometimes even more than that much to his siblings protest, to learn how to protect himself and his family from physical harm.

Together they had also taught themselves how to work as a team. Just the three of them.

Glancing behind her after landing from her latest jump kick, she saw Alec take a harsh blow to the gut with the butt end of a stun gun. With a ferocious snarl, Isabelle leaped on to the agents back, her claws digging in deep to his chest and neck. As soon as the scent of foreign blood hit her nose, she felt her inner animal become satisfied and she grinned.

She watched as Alec caught his breath and gave her a tight smile, letting her know he was still good to fight.

That was three of their six down. _One may even be down permanently_ , she thought to herself, satisfied that the man who dared to hurt her brother.

She only hoped that the others were faring just as well.

* * *

 

**Inside the Warehouse**

“How the fuck are we supposed to get him down from there?” Jace yelled over the roar of flames. His artificial inner peace was beginning to waver as the panic started to consume him and Magnus. He could feel the flames around them close in slowly.

“Magnus, is he still conscious?” Luke asked urgently.

Magnus shook his head, “Not enough for me to do anything about it.”

_Damn,_ Luke thought. Even if Jace was able to pull the flames back from the beams, there was no way for Ragnor to climb down. The beams must have been at least 60 feet above them. There wasn’t time to climb up to him, bring him down and for them all to get out before this building collapsed.

He heard Magnus let out an agonized shout as the beam that Ragnor’s body was precariously draped upon cracked and shifted down a few inches. Ragnor's body remained in place though.

Then he got an idea.

“Jace, how far can you reach out to fire?”

Jace shrugged helplessly, “I’m not sure,” he coughed violently in to his leather jacket sleeve, “I think I can reach the ceiling, but it will take all my concentration.”

“Okay, I want you to concentrate on the beam holding Ragnor. I want you to make those flames as big and hot as you can.”

Magnus’ eyes widened, “Are you insane, he’ll fall!”

“That’s the idea, trust me on this. I’m going to catch him.”

Jace could see where he was going with this, but it was damn risky.

“What about the fire around us?” Jace asked, gesturing to the encroaching heat.

“Work fast.”

* * *

 

**Back Outside**

Simon was not the ideal choice for a hand to hand combat partner. He was much better at strategic fights and missions, things where a false door or a sexy clone distraction would be of use. It’s not like him manifesting a puppy from a rock on the ground would stop an agent in his tracks as they both fawned over a dog.

That’s probably why Luke insisted he learn some martial arts stuff alongside Clary and Magnus. He wasn’t great, but for the most part, neither were the agents. They relied too heavily on their weapons and not enough on their position in a fight. Stun guns from a distance were definitely a challenge for the mutant team, but if they got up close to the agents then it was almost impossible to get a shot off without risking fellow agents or without pausing long enough for Simon to get a hit in.

Clary was amazing at it though, she was able to blend her abilities and natural inner beast to beat down agents like she was born to it. Even now Simon watched out the corner of his eye as she drew up a portal that she kicked one agent in to, sending him to who knows where. It didn’t matter, he was no longer a problem for them!

He had his own tricks though. He let himself be kicked to the ground next to the perfectly sized piece of broken off pavement. He grabbed it and quickly rearranged the molecules into the desired shape.

Simon spun around back at the agent with a stun gun in his hands pointed straight at the mans’ chest, “Yeah, how do you like having guns pointed at you? It’s not very nice is it?”

The agent stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide behind orange tinted goggles.

Simon smiled, “How about you drop yours and I’ll be nice.”

Slowly the agent bent down to place his own gun on the ground before straightening up, hands in the air. Simon walked over beaming.

“Bet you didn’t expect that,” he joked as he moved closer, picking up the real gun.

The agent shook his head, helmet wiggling with the movement.

Simon smiled again and fired the stunner right at his chest, sending him to the ground in a twitching pile, “Bet you didn’t expect that either!”

And that was one down for Simon! He turned to see how Clary and the others were faring and immediately his shoulders dropped when he saw Izzy checking the paint on her nails and Alec confirming all agents were unconscious or dead. Clary was standing next to a portal, her eyes on the door waiting for the rest of their team to return, four agents on the ground at her feet. 

“Can you tell if they’re close to coming out?” Izzy asked Clary, unsure of what other abilities the redhead may possess.

Alec turned to them with a frown, he also wanted to know if the others were safe.

“Um, not really. I need to be in close proximity to sense emotional presence and even then it’s not super specific for me. Magnus is much better at analyzing what he senses,” she said with the apology given in the tone of her voice, “All the smoke and noise make it hard to sense anything else.”

They waited a few more minutes in silence, one eye kept on the door to the warehouse, the other scanning the area for more agents to appear.

Isabelle had begun to pace, her heels clicking on the pavement as she moved. She looked like a cat assessing a jump before taking it, and Simon became a little worried that she would run in to the fire if the others didn’t get back quick. He tried to tell her jokes and funny stories to help lighten the mood, but she was too agitated to respond, her eyes continuously flashing from her lovely browns to the startling yellows.

Alec from what he could see wasn’t faring much better. His hand were constantly clenching and unclenching at his sides, as if resisting the urge to tear at his hair. For such a pretty guy, he could look terrifying when he was upset.

Simon was about to try and offer up yet another poorly timed joke when a loud crash sounded from the warehouse and all four of them watched in horror as the roof of the building caved in.


	13. Disbelief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's such a short chapter! Next one after this will be longer, I promise. Thanks again to the lovely reviewers!!!!!!

“No!”

Alec yelled out, agony in his voice as he watched the building crumple before him, embers sent soaring in to the air around them, burning their skin. Alec barely noticed, too numb to pat out the hot specs that landed on him. He looked to where the door once stood, now seeing it completely blocked off by the fallen debris, No one had come out and no one was coming out after the building had collapsed in on itself. All that was left was a burning inferno that looked like an opening in to hell. Horror consumed him turning his blood to ice in his veins and making his breath seize up in his throat. This couldn't be happening, his eyes must be playing a trick on him.

Distantly he heard Clary and Simon cry out for their own team members. He felt Izzy’s hands grip his arm, claws dug in deep enough to draw blood.

They were still in there. No one could survive that, not even Jace. He could push back fire, not whole fucking buildings!

_Not Jace. Not Jace. Not Jace. Not another brother._

_Not Magnus too…_

Alec couldn’t breathe, it was too much. In his mind he was racing towards the building, pulling at the burning debris with his bare hands, trying to dig out the body of his brother and those he was beginning to think of as friends, maybe even more. He would pull and push and toss until the bones of his hands were exposed as his skin melted away. He wouldn’t stop until he found them.

But his body didn’t move. He couldn't move his feet, they were rooted to the very ground he stood on, paralyzed by every emotion that was coursing through him.

He heard Simon yelling at them that they needed to get out of there, that more agents may be on the way. Clary was sobbing as she moved towards her portal, a blank faced Isabelle next to her.

 Alec couldn’t move.

Several large black vans appeared on the road ahead, pulling to a stop in front of them, agents pouring out, armed to the teeth.

Alec still couldn’t move.

Behind him Clary and Simon were screaming at him to come with them, their own sorrow lacing every word. It was all too much. He just wanted to create a wall around himself, shutting out the world, protecting all that he had left. He wished it with every fiber of his being.

He didn’t notice when the ground began to shake, but the agents did and stopped dead in their tracks, eyes on the ground beneath them as it rumbled. Small stones started to rattle against the pavement, the noise sounding like falling rain. Clary and Simon froze as well, eyeing the ground around them as the vibrations traveled up their legs. Clary reached out with her mind as Magnus had showed her before, seeing the hurricane of frenzied emotion swirling around him like a tornado. She had never seen anything like it before and it brought tears to her eyes to witness his pain and fear materializing around him. In the back of her mind she knew that Elementals felt things more strongly than others, but this was on a different level than she had ever imagined. 

Alec felt like he was about to explode. It was too much! He saw Jace’s smile, heard his laugh, felt the warmth of his fire. He felt Magnus’ gentle touch, he smelled his cologne, he sensed his presence in his mind. It all shot through him like a geyser, and soon it became too much.

Alec gasped out a breath and let go.

The ground before him split open violently, large roots as thick as the human body shooting up out of the ground like snakes. They flailed and weaved in to each other around the mutants in a large semi circle, blocking them off from the agents and slamming away any that got too close with the force of a speeding truck. The vans that the agents arrived in were smashed, the people around them scattering away like mice as the roots demolished the vehicles with ease. 

As the immediate threat was pushed back, the wild trashing became organized and more controlled. Slowly the roots seemed to solidify in a shape, creating a giant ball of wooded protection around them. The other mutants watched in awe as the branches moved over their heads, weaving in to each other to create a dome around them, the light from the sun slowly disappearing from sight. Eventually, the only light getting in was from small gaps between the woven trunks. They were shielded completely, portal included.

“Fucking Elementals,” Simon said in awe as he gazed around them.

In a cloud of exhaustion, Alec's mind came back to him sluggishly. The presence of plants literally surrounding him made him finally feel safe enough to bring himself out of the mental freeze he had entered. With monumental effort, Alec opened his eyes feeling completely drained. He blearily took in the dome around them, only barely registering that he caused the appearance of their temporary sanctuary. Alec dropped to his knees, gasping for air, limbs trembling with effort. Isabelle was by his side with one burst of her super speed. His vision started to gray out. Then he heard a familiar voice.

“Jesus, fuck, Alec! Where the hell did all that come from?!”

Alec frowned and forced his heavy head up, “Jace?” he gasped.

Coming from the edge of the canopy of roots, were Jace, Magnus, and Luke who was carrying whom he assumed to be Ragnor, the unconscious man gripping a burnt briefcase. All of them were singed around the edges, coughing, dirty, and honestly it was the most beautiful thing Alec had ever seen.

“Oh my god, Jace!” Izzy sobbed next to him.

Their brother ran over to his distraught siblings, pulling Izzy into his side while cupping Alec’s head against his neck. 

Alec could feel the soot and grease on his face as he buried it in Jace's neck, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he drank in the presence of his brother, safe and alive. Even the smell of Jace was atrocious, but it was as pleasant now as the roses he used to grow for the shop. He was here. He didn't lose him. Alec brought up his trembling arms to wrap weakly around his brother's shoulders, sighing in relief that he could still hug his brother again. He thought about how much it had hurt to lose Max and how close he had come to experiencing that again, and a small noise made it past his lips as he buried his face even harder in to Jace's neck.

Magnus watched them, his eyes watering when he heard Alec whimper in to his brother’s shirt. He forced himself to look away and instead direct his attention to Ragnor. He was in terrible condition. Burns, scrapes, barely breathing. He was dying, Magnus could feel it, “Luke, we have to hurry,” he pleaded, his voice hoarse, whether from the smoke or his fear he didn’t know.

“I know,” the team leader replied and moved over to the portal where Simon and Clary stood, there eyes filled with relieved tears, telling them it was time to move out.

Magnus moved over to the Lightwoods, regretful to break up their reunion, but Alec’s shield wouldn’t last forever and Ragnor was fading fast.

He placed a gentle hand on Jace, his expression soft in gratitude for the young man who was largely the reason Ragnor as well as himself weren't in the hellish collapsed building.

“Come, I’ll help you with him.”

Together he and Jace pulled an exhausted Alec to his feet and helped carry him to the portal, Isabelle following close behind.

Together, they stepped through, leaving their sanctuary behind.


	14. Drained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome! Thank you for the reviews, they always make me smile and run to my computer for the next chapter.

 

It was chaos from the moment they stepped out of the portal and in to the house. Luke was shouting orders left and right, his voice raw from overuse.

Clary vanished immediately into another portal and came back only seconds later dragging a shocked Catarina behind her, while Simon and Izzy ran to the infirmary to start setting things up. Unsure of what Catarina may need, they pulled out almost every piece of medical equipment they could think of.

Luke was still holding Ragnor’s limp body in his arms, his own fatigue written in the lines on his face. Both of them were wheezing with every breath, the smoke still coating their lungs, but still the team leader gracefully carried his friend as quickly as he could to the infirmary. Gently as his hurried actions would allow, Luke laid his friend on the medical table in the center of the room.

Trailing behind him were two absolutely exhausted Elementals and a distraught and drained Psychic. When the last three of the group made it in to the medical room, they were welcomed by Catarina taking over for Luke on yelling out orders left and right. Her face was set in stone, but her eyes betrayed fear.

She caught sight of the last ones to enter the room and cursed under her breath at the condition they appeared in. She turned her head and spotted Izzy and Simon staring wide eyed at the very still form of Ragnor on one of the medical beds.

“Simon, I need you to get oxygen masks on everyone who was in the burning building. Higher purity and flow rate for Jace. It looks like he may have over used his own oxygen controlling the fire,” she told him noting the blue around the blonde’s lips. Simon quickly dashed off to gather the O2 tanks while she began to work on Ragnor, her hands already glowing blue over his chest.

“I’m not going to need one, Cat” Luke tried, but she cut him off before he could offer any more protest.

“You’re going to put a damn mask on if I have to super glue it to your sorry face myself.”

Luke sighed, but didn’t argue further.

Glancing behind her again at the others she made quick visual assessment on their respective conditions and wasn’t pleased with what she saw. Those coming from the fire had various burns and all were suffering from smoke inhalation. Those who had been outside looked like they were all on the verge of shock. And she’d be damned if Alec didn’t look like he had exhausted his energy stores again, only days after he had recovered. All this ran through her head as she figured out the next steps for all of them, the blue healing glow of her hands never faltering.

“Okay, all four of you in to beds, now!” she shouted, her chin gesturing to the line of beds against the far wall.

Too tired to argue, Jace helped his brother over to a bed before crawling in to the one next to it. Luke leaned his hip on the side of one, while Magnus chose to sit on the edge of the bed on Alec’s other side. His eyes were fixed on Ragnor.

Jace’s whole body felt drained, wrung out, and screaming for him to rest. His lungs burned with every new cough that ripped itself from his throat. He knew he looked like shit. So did everyone really, but Alec’s appearance was what made his stomach turn.

The pale skin and dark circles that had only just gone away were back again after another overuse of his abilities. While as incredible a show as it was, and it did save all their collective asses, Jace wished there could have been another way to get out of that situation that didn’t cause his brother to look that sick again so soon. His eyes were half open at least, darting from Jace, to Magnus, and then to Ragnor. Even half a step from unconsciousness, he was still trying to look out for others and Jace wanted to strangle him for not thinking of himself for once. But then again, he wouldn’t be Alec if he did that.

As if every cell in his body had gained ten pounds, Alec found himself unable to move another inch. The only thing that he could do was lay on his bed and look around the room. His eyes jumped from one concern to the next.

Magnus sat against the bed next to him, his eyes fixed as if physically tied to the bed where Ragnor lay. He looked as if his world was ending, and Alec was surprised at how it made his chest ache in sympathy. Just as he thought back now, he was surprised at how badly he took the thought of Magnus dying. And only minutes before, Alec’s own world seemed to come crashing in around him as he thought that Jace had died. He couldn’t imagine the pain Magnus must be feeling to watch his friend on the edge of life like that.

He wanted so badly to reach out and offer some sort of comfort.

_Say something, you idiot. Just open your mouth and try not to insert your foot,_ he thought to himself. Just when he thought of what he wanted to say, Simon pulled an oxygen mask over his face, preventing him from saying anything intelligible. Alec cursed mentally, and instead focused on mustering all his emotions into some sort of encouragement, sympathy and comfort and seeing if Magnus would pick up on it.

Across the room, Catarina then turned to Isabelle, “Sweetheart, I’m going to need you to get that UV lamp back on your brother, and then go to the kitchen and mix as much pure sugar in to a glass of water as you can and bring it back for him to drink.”

Isabelle quickly went to comply, glad to be able to focus on something else.

“Clary, I know you can’t do a whole lot, but we’re going to need everything we’ve got if there’s going to be a chance to save him. Come help me,” she said gently and Clary steeled herself before she took off her leather gloves and let the blue glow emit from her own pale and shaky hands.

The room fell quiet as the two women worked. No sound was heard beyond that of the oxygen tanks hiss until Izzy’s clicking heels entered the room again, a large water glass in hand. She moved over to her brother, placing a straw in the glass before offering it to him.

Alec made a sour face, but put the straw between his lips before Catarina could yell at him. He winced after the first suck gave him a mouthful of grainy sludge that made his teeth ache. Izzy and Jace grimaced in sympathy.

As Alec continued to choke back the offending drink, Isabelle took a moment to be grateful that both her brothers were still alive and mostly intact. Jace looked like he was dying for a bath and a lung transplant, and Alec was about as strong as a baby at the moment, but they were here and they would be okay.

The same she wasn’t sure could be said about Ragnor. She didn’t know what happened in that building, but whatever it was, the older man was in grave condition. She could hear his heart stuttering in his chest between weak and ragged breaths, her super hearing giving her far too much information than she ever wanted.

Her face fell as she reached out a hand to stroke Alec’s hair, pulling out some bits of dirt and twigs that had gotten in there as the dome had formed over them.

Simon was practically vibrating over by where he stood next to Luke’s chosen leaning post. This was all too heavy for him, he needed a distraction, and he bet that some of the others confined to beds needed one as well, “How did you guys get out of the building? We saw the roof cave in and you never came out the door,” he asked quietly, knowing his voice would still carry through the uncomfortably silent room.

Jace sat up and pulled his oxygen mask down to his chin, “After we got Ragnor down from the rafters, Magnus tried to give me enough of a mental boost to guide us back to the door. At that point though, I had already gotten the fire all worked up to melt the beam holding him, so we couldn’t make it back that way.”

The Elemental paused to cough, earning him a scolding from Catarina and an order to put his mask back on.

Luke pulled his own mask down to pick up from where Jace left off, “There was a wall toward the back that had a clear path to it. We ran over and I had Jace concentrate the fire on an unstable part until the metal became soft and we could break our way out with a few good hits. After coming out the back we ran towards where you all were, and that’s when we saw the vans coming in.”

“Not just the vans though!” Jace snorted, his mask pulled down again, “We saw what looked like a heavy metal band logo growing out of the damn ground. We kind of just stood there confused until Magnus yelled at us to run towards the giant scary ball of wooden funland.”

“Why on earth would you want to run towards something that looked like that?” Simon almost yelled, “We could see that it was Alec doing it, but it was terrifying still! It looked like a bunch of tree anacondas rising from hell! Any person in their right mind should have hightailed it in the other direction.”

Jace didn’t answer, he turned to where Magnus sat.

The Psychic had been listening the whole time, not even moving an inch. He sighed heavily, knowing many eyes were now on him to answer.

“I knew it was Alexander. I knew he was trying to protect everyone,” he answered slowly, not daring to look at the bed next to him in case he saw Alec’s expression.

Simon smiled, “Oh, you mean you felt his emotions?”

Magnus winced, wishing he could lie, but there were too many in this room who would hear his heart skip, “No, I just…knew it was him and knew only he would go through such lengths to protect his family. I didn’t need my abilities to know that.”

“Oh”, Simon said awkwardly.

Perhaps this wasn’t the best time for Simon to accidentally stumble upon Magnus’ over attention to detail when it came to Alexander, but it at least drew his mind off of darker things for a small moment. The Psychic had been sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his friend’s aura of life fade bit by bit. As hard as Cat and Clary were working, Magnus could feel no improvement. Ragnor was fading, and Magnus had an HD, surround sound front row seat to watch it happen.

Everything that Magnus _saw_ when he looked at Ragnor was becoming dimmer. His dry humor and contrary attitude had always been a source of amusement to everyone. And while to most he seemed a bit rude and perhaps slightly asocial, Magnus had always been able to see what those people couldn’t. A deeply rooted kindness and a longing to use whatever resources he had to help others.

It was why Ragnor originally wanted to work for Circle Corp. He heard they were curing terminally ill children and he wanted to help with his money and his brilliance. When he found out the truth, he turned his whole life in to a mission to right those wrongs. It may even be costing him his life now.

Magnus swallowed around the lump in his throat.

That’s when the soft flickering light of his friend blew out, and all the air left Magnus’ lungs.

_“He’s crashing, Simon get me the cart!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be mad....


	15. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short and fluffy chapter to help everyone recover from the last chapter...and for chapters to come. Thanks again for the comments and kudos!!!!! They are my life blood at this point, I get so excited when I see emails pop up saying there was another comment!

 

In the small hours since Ragnor’s heart stopped beating, the house had gone from a chaotic whirl to a somber fog. With tears in her eyes, Catarina had given everyone orders to get some rest, Alec and those who were in the fire had to remain in the infirmary until she gave explicit permission. Nobody raised any protest, too emotionally and physically wrung to question it.

It was horrifically quiet in there. Ragnor’s body had been taken to the morgue in the back, Jace choosing wisely not to question the presence of a morgue in the house. Simon and Isabelle had guided a weeping Clary back to their rooms to try and get some sleep, Catarina following to take one of the guest rooms.

Alec was more tired than he could ever remember feeling, but he couldn’t sleep. There was too many things fighting for dominant position in his head and he couldn’t even begin to focus on just one.

Glancing across the room, he saw Luke in the bed, a troubled look on his face even in sleep. Alec’s heart dropped in compassion for the man who was doing his best to help others but kept suffering because of it. It hadn’t taken long for Alec to realize that Luke was a good man, and wasn’t it just tragic that in this world it was the good people who suffered the most.

Letting out a soft sigh, Alec turned his heavy head to the left to where his brother lay on his side, curled up and hugging a pillow. It wasn’t an uncommon sight, but it still made Alec smile weakly. Jace had always been a cuddler in their shared bed, but when they had all grown up enough for the guys to have…certain issues every morning, they had slowly pulled back a little bit. Jace however, still slept best holding something, so pillows it was. Alec hoped that some day it may be a special person instead.

With a swell of relief, Alec sent his gratitude up towards whoever was watching over them for making sure Jace made it back to them from the fire. Alec honestly didn’t know what he’d do if he lost another sibling, let the forest consume him? Find the nearest bridge? Live in darkness and spend every remaining day of his life thinking of what a failure he was as a big brother? He had some choices.

He didn’t end up losing anyone today, but these people did.

Alec turned his head to the right to see the shadowed figure of Magnus laying in the next bed, back turned towards him. Alec’s whole being lurched with an all-consuming sympathy for the incredible man next to him. It wasn’t fair. None of them should have to feel this pain, especially someone as kind spirited as Magnus.

“You’re _feeling_ too loudly, Alexander. Try small emotions first. Try to be depressed, not anguished. Or bored, not desolate and lonely,” came Magnus’ tired voice. Alec looked to his right to where the other man was turning around in his bed to face him.

“Does that work for you? Are you just feeling…depressed?” Alec challenged gently.

Magnus rolled his eyes, but it came off more playful than rude, “Of course not. I just…I want to feel something other than this right now,” he gestured vaguely to the room, but Alec knew what he was getting at.

“You want to process your own sadness, but because of who you are and what you can do, you end up having to work through several other bodies worth of it... Must be hard,” Alec said softly, their voices both quiet enough not to wake the others in the room.

Magnus’ eyes widened as he listened to what Alec had to say. It was once in a blue moon that anyone understood him so well, so fast. He was once again stunned by the man in front of him.

“Yes, I suppose it is hard. It’s so difficult to…find the light in all this,” Magnus whispered.

“What do you mean?”

Magnus shifted forward the last few inches on his bed, closer to Alec so he could drop his voice further, “I can see emotions visually, not just by feeling them from others. There’s colors and brightness, darkness and swirls, its all beautiful and its all confusing. If I’m sad, my world seems to dim a bit. If someone else is sad, I can see their light dim a bit. Ragnor was always a bright spot for me, he was one of the first who brought me out of a very dark place in my life. My mother was killed by Circle Corp, and that was also when I discovered that I had become a freak that no one wanted to be around. Because of my ability I was immediately untrustworthy, no one wanted to be friends with something like me. My whole being became shrouded in darkness. But then, one night, the security at the facility I was being kept in suddenly went out. Everyone in the wards started to break through windows, run in to the woods…I was afraid to run, where would I go? Who would want me? I just stood there in an empty hallway, until a man in a lab coat called to me. He didn’t feel evil to me, so I went with him. He hid me in the back of his car and drove me away from the facility himself. He let me hide in his home, told me how he was building a safe place just for me, told me there was nothing wrong with me, told me he’d be my friend.”

“That was Ragnor?”

Magnus nodded, sniffing around some tears that had started to leak out during his story, “When he told me that it was like a sunbeam breaking through the clouds after years of darkness. He was the first light in my life after so long. And only a few hours ago I had to watch that light go out. And it’s all dark again.”

Swallowing hard, Magnus stopped there, knowing if he said any more he would break down in front of Alexander, and he didn’t want to appear weak. Alec seemed to let him collect himself before he too scooted over the last few inches of his bed.

“I’ve felt like that before,” Alec said.

“You have?”

Alec nodded sadly, his heart aching loudly enough for Magnus’ to echo it.

“We had a little brother, Max. He was killed by Circle Corp too, right before we escaped and started living on the streets. We were hungry, we were cold, we were scared, we were hurting. It felt like we would never be happy again, but after a few weeks on some random night when a bad storm rolled in and we were living in this freaking pitiful cardboard box, I really believed for a moment that life may not be worth living anymore. It got so cold, but then Jace and Izzy wrapped all three of us up in to some ratty blanket and I started to feel warm again. They were still there, I wasn’t alone, and despite being wet and miserable, I felt like maybe things would be okay,” Alec finished, letting his voice trail off.

“So you’re saying I should make a cuddle puddle with your siblings and I’ll feel better?” Magnus joked weakly.

Alec snorted, “I’m sure Jace would love to trade his pillow for the real thing. It’s been a long time since the three of us have had separate beds. I’m sure he misses cutting off someone’s circulation in his sleep.”

He had said it so casually, but Magnus could pick up on the small twinge of fondness and loneliness that came about with what he said. Hearing about their little brother was a shock to him. For someone who loves as fiercely as Alec, losing one of his siblings must have been devastating. Probably as anguished as Mangus felt now, if not more so. Although, Magnus had never had to sleep in a wet box in some dirty alley following his own loss. Not for the first time his heart ached for what the three of them had gone through.

“You miss sharing a bed with them, don’t you?”

“No!”

Magnus smirked, “I won’t judge, Angel.”

Alec conceded with a small smile, “I’m just used to being kicked by Izzy and being suffocated by Jace. Being in a bed by myself seems too peaceful now, I keep waiting for someone to elbow me in the ribs or to find a foreign drool mark next to my head.”

Magnus chuckled softly, leaning far enough off the bed now that falling was becoming a real danger, “Darling, I would gladly kick you in the shins if it will help you sleep. You exerted yourself extensively with that spectacular display of botanical terror that ultimately saved all of us, I believe you are entitled to a non-peaceful night’s sleep.”

“Are you offering your services?” Alec said slyly.

Magnus sat up and dramatically placed a hand over his chest, “My stars, Alexander. Are you trying to proposition me?”

Alec shrugged as much as he could with one shoulder smooshed in to the pillow. With a drawn out sigh, Magnus got up and walked over to the bed, gracefully slithering in under the blanket Alec held up for him. After adjusting themselves for a few seconds, they finally settled together on the cramped cot facing each other. For anyone else to do this with Magnus, it would have felt a little too intimate, a little too close, but with Alexander it just felt natural.

He watched as Alec closed his eyes and continued to watch for a while after. Memorizing the planes of his handsome face, wondering at the scars on his chin and eyebrow, smiling softly at the tiny snores that would come and go.

That’s when Magnus saw it, in the blackened room of the infirmary in the middle of a cloudy night. A small ray of light coming through the darkness. Finally, Magnus let himself sleep.

* * *

 

The next morning Catarina entered the infirmary to see an empty bed where Magnus was supposed to be. Just as she was about to go hunt him down she saw an extra large lump occupying Alec’s bed. She looked closer and smiled fondly at what she saw.

One of Alec’s long legs was hanging uncomfortably off of the side of the bed having been pushed off by Magnus’s feet that were now taking up the spot his leg once was. Subconsciously it looked like the Elemental got revenge by being almost completely draped over Magnus’ torso and crushing one of his arms into the mattress. But from where Alec had his head tucked under Magnus’ chin, you would never guess from the precariously uncomfortable positions of limbs that their faces would look so peaceful.

Quietly she backed out of the room. It wouldn’t hurt to let them sleep a bit longer.


	16. Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to all who commented!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm still having a blast writing this series, already halfway done with the first drafts of the second story. Just started hatching an idea for the third! Malec remains the primary focus of the series, but I don't like to just keep the other characters as props. They'll all have story lines that weave in to the plot through the series. This will make for a much more interesting read, I promise!
> 
> Things of note:  
> -I'm starting to develop Izzy as a character at this point. Her story arch will begin with small bits now and go until at least the end of the second story.  
> -Jace's development will begin in the second story followed by his growing relationship with Clary (more in depth than casual mentions)  
> -This is a slow burn malec, but we are getting there!   
> -Toying with the idea of some one-shots to add in to the series after I get further in. This is an in-depth AU, so it has potential for a lot of fun short stories. May be open to prompts by those who want something specific that I can't tie in to the main stories, be it comedic, introspection, fluffy, etc.

 

“You can’t be fucking serious, Luke. How could you even suggest something like that!?”

Luke groaned and rubbed a hand over his weary face, something Alec was beginning to see happened a lot.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, but we need to look at the bigger picture here. We have a lot of unanswered questions and there’s only one person who can answer them! There could be lives at stake, Magnus,” Luke said, a bit of edge to his voice. He wanted to be gentle, but this was time sensitive and they couldn’t wait until the hurt had died down some.

They were all gathered back in the infirmary where Cat was examining her patients one by one to see if one night’s sleep had been enough to release them from her care. Luke had insisted on going first, since he had work to do. Work that was now understandably causing some kickback among the team. The Lightwoods kept glancing over at each other, brimming with questions, but afraid to say anything as the tension in the room grew to stifling proportions. 

Alec, still confined to his bed until Cat gave him the green light, wanted to get up and offer some comfort to the Psychic who was becoming more and more distressed. Earlier when Alec had opened his eyes, just for a few minutes as the Psychic continued to sleep, Magnus' handsome face didn't bare a trace of the agony from the night before. He wished he could wake up like this every day, so warm and safe...

“Magnus may be right, Luke. Bringing in Raphael for someone we know, and someone he knows too…that’s painful on way too many levels,” Clary added from where she stood with Isabelle between Alec’s and Jace’s beds. Her arms were crossed over her narrow chest, as if whatever Luke was suggesting was scaring her.

“Thank you, Biscuit,” Magnus said as civil as he could muster. He offered a soft apology as Catarina scolded him for talking while she ran the stethoscope over his back.

“I get that it’s creepy, and weird, and painful, but what if Luke’s right and there are lives at stake? Wouldn’t Ragnor want us to do what needs to be done? He died protecting that case, surely it means it was something worth dying for?” Simon said around a mouth full of bagel.

“Thank you, Simon,” Luke said, giving the Molecular an approving nod.

“You’re all set, Magnus. Just be sure to drink lots of water today and don’t over exert yourself until you’re not coughing at all anymore,” Catarina said softy as she moved away from his bed on to Jace’s. With a grand flourish, Jace pulled his shirt off with a cheeky grin to Clary before turning to let Cat begin.

Izzy roller her eyes at Jace’s obvious flirting and turned her attention to the others, “I’m sorry if I’m overstepping my bounds or whatever, but what exactly are you all fighting about?”

Simon, ever eager to please Isabelle, quickly swallowed his latest bite of bagel to answer, “Luke here wants to call in Raphael, a mutant with the power of necromancy.”

The three Lightwoods all made sour faces.

“You want him to turn your friend in to a zombie?” Jace asked, horrified.

Catarina tutted behind him, turning his face back to her so she could check his lips for any blueness, “Not a zombie. Raphael can bring back the dead for a short period of time. Depending on how long the body has been dead for, or how violently they died in the first place can affect to what extent the person comes back,” she said, “And you’re all set too. If you start feeling dizzy, have Simon or Clary give you some more time with the oxygen mask.”

She moved over to Alec next who chose to just lift his shirt as little as possible, unlike his exhibitionist brother.

“What, you mean like…decomposing?” Jace asked, voice muffled as he tried to put his shirt back on. Clary giggled as he struggled, finally moving over to gently help him out of the tangle. He gave her a wide goofy grin as his head finally popped out of the neck hole which made her cheeks light up in a dusting of blush. She preferred this Jace, the somewhat awkward and clueless one to the  over the top macho man. 

Catarina hummed as she examined Alec, "Yes and no. The time is very short, and shorter depending on the condition of the body. If they were decapitated, there’s no bringing them back even if they died five minutes ago. The body is getting basically a jump start to their system. If the system has a major fault, no amount of jump is going to bring them back. Longer they’re dead for can affect other things though, like memory, personality, etc. If we were to bring back Ragnor for information, we’d need to do it as soon as possible so his memory is mostly preserved.”

She said it all so clinically, but there was a hurt in her voice that sent shivers down Alec’s spine as she spoke. Obviously, she had been good friends with Ragnor as well. He winced knowing she probably felt his reaction while checking his lungs. Then he winced again when she pulled out a blood glucose monitor and pricked his finger with the lancet.

She frowned at the reading, “Your blood sugar is a bit low still, but not awful. I’m going to have you eat some more before you can leave, okay?” then she sent Simon off with a wave of her hand to go grab some more snacks from the kitchen, “You may want to start carrying around one of these glucose kits. May come in handy to know if you’ve eaten enough recently.”

Absently Alec nodded, taking the small pouch from her and slipping it in to his jeans pocket.

The room was tense. Nobody wanted to be disrespectful, but at the same time these people’s entire lives were devoted to helping mutants. They sacrificed so much for others, and this seemed to border on just too much. Alec felt for all of them. He watched as the team seemed to rift off in to separate corners of the room, lost in their own internal battles. It was hard for Alec to wrap his head around what they were proposing, but he at least understood the emotional turmoil.

Simon came back and handed some juice and a power bar to Alec who took them slowly and held them in his lap, not really having an appetite when the room was this heavy. He felt the bed dip next to him and glanced up to see Mangus sitting next to him. HIs heart did a double-flip. First at being so close to the man again, and then another nose dive when he thought about what it was that made Magnus' face that distraught.

This...choice the team was trying to make was horrific and unfair. They all sacrificed so much to protect mutants, and now they were debating on whether they could even let the dead rest. Dumbfounded, Alec couldn't believe how incredible these people were that they would even consider something like this, but deep down in each of them, he knew that it was because they truly wanted to protect other mutants at any cost. Any cost...

“You need to eat those, Alexander. Not just stare at them.”

Heaving a sigh, Alec set the power bar on the bed and instead opened the bottle of juice, taking a small sip.

“You’ve got more important things to worry about besides me, Magnus,” Alec said softly.

Magnus shook his head, “It’s my job to worry about others. Especially cute Elementals such as yourself,” he joked, brushing one stray bang back in to place on Alec’s head.

“Sure, but you’re going through a lot. I’d understand if you needed to focus on yourself and your needs for once,” Alec said, his voice getting just loud enough to carry across the room. A few heads turned their way, but all ears were honed in.

Magnus didn’t seem to notice the change in tone and frowned at him, concerned “I can’t only focus on myself, Alec. Not when you and your brother nearly died yesterday. I’d do anything to make sure you’re okay.”

“How are we any different from the other mutants out there in danger?”

There was a small hint of challenge in Alec’s soft voice that made Magnus pause and realize what he had just said. Now everyone’s attention was fully on them.

Magnus’ mouth opened and closed, for once truly speechless. It hurt, and he was angry that he was being asked to do this. He was angry that once again they had to be the ones to sacrifice their happiness. He was angry that Ragnor had to die to protect others. 

Magnus stood up sharply from the bed and almost ran out of the room, angrily calling out behind him.

“Call Raphael.”

* * *

 

Raphael Santiago had a scary look about him that Isabelle wasn’t sure was because he found out a friend had died, or if it just happened to be what he presented himself as. Could be a mixture of the two. Even so, he was keeping his composure for the most part. His eyes turned somewhat soft when speaking to Magnus and Catarina, but then became hard again when addressing anyone else.

Isabelle wasn’t going to comment, but Luke picked up on her caution, knowing as a fellow Feral that she would be looking for any threat to her and her family in strangers. He lay a warm and comforting hand on her shoulder from where they both stood on the other side of the room from the rest of the mutants.

“Raphael is a good man, try not to read too much in to that stand-off beacon of his. He’s just been through a lot.”

“Haven’t we all,” she whispered back challengingly, not liking how the man kept glaring at her brothers.

Luke shrugged, “Pain is pain. Some people process it differently than others, but never lessen anyone’s suffering just because you’ve been through worse. Raphael only learned about his ability after his sister passed away from a treatment gone wrong and he accidentally brought her back to life. Imagine how he felt when she woke up herself again…only to see her die again a few minutes later. And look at what he's about to do now. Ragnor was his friend too.”

Isabelle blushed, a little ashamed for her words, but Luke didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Let your animal instincts protect you, but let your human instincts guide you.”

He clapped her on the shoulder before moving to great their new guest. Isabelle swallowed hard before putting a gentle smile on her face and moving to do the same.

“Hi, my name is Isabelle,” she offered her hand out, which he grabbed gently and shook.

“I’m Raphael,” he said shortly, his eyes wandering the room, avoiding contact with hers, something that bothered her a bit. She held her tongue on that though, trying to keep her face welcoming and sympathetic.

“I’m sorry for your loss, I heard that Ragnor was your friend too. This must be…incredibly difficult. I know you don’t know me or my brother’s, but we want to be here for you all. If there’s anything I can do to help…” she trailed off, not knowing herself what she could offer him or any of the others suffering from this death. She hated feeling so useless.

Raphael turned his attention back on her, this time really looking in her eyes, something that soothed her inner animal and let her metaphorical fur smooth from standing on end. His expression never changed from the stony exterior, but she saw a small crack in his façade. His eyes were glassy, holding back tears like dams. No one would notice it unless he met their eyes, now she understood why he was looking everywhere but at them. She wouldn’t want strangers to see her cry either and she cursed at herself for letting herself think it was something sinister.

“Please,” she said gently, “Anything at all, we’re here for you.”

He offered the bleakest of smiles and a short nod, “Thank you, Isabelle. I will keep that in mind,” he said before turning back to Magnus, embracing the Psychic emphatically.

Isabelle then retreated, letting the man have space with his remaining friends, hopefully not thinking about what was to come next.

* * *

 

Magnus stood frozen to the ground as he stared at the sheet covered body they all stood around in the cold morgue. It was near impossible for him to process who it was that was under there, let alone what they were about to do.

Raphael’s face looked like it was carved from stone. It wasn’t often that they called him in to bring back a life for questioning, but every time was difficult for him. And now they were asking him to do it for a dear friend…Magnus’s hands began to shake.

Raphael had been in the same facility as Magnus and Catarina when they were all children. The three of them supporting each other through their treatments and tests. Unfortunately, they had been kept in different wards so their time together, while it became a lifetime bonding, was never nearly enough contact to suppress the agony of that place.  Magnus had been there when Raphael’s ability manifested for the first time. He remembered the elation that then crashed in to horror so quickly. He was terrified of feeling that again.

Then he felt a hand close over his own, and he looked over to see Alec hesitantly meet his gaze.

“You don’t have to be here, you know? I’m sure he’d understand if you couldn’t stay,” he offered, but Magnus shook his head.

“It’s not every day one gets a second chance to say goodbye,” he said, his voice hoarse, and turned back to the table, his hand seemingly refusing to let go of Alec’s.

Raphael’s reached out to slowly pull back the sheet and Magnus took the chance to take in the peaceful face of his friend. With a slight tremor only a Feral could see, Raphael raised his hands over the body as his fingers started to glow purple. While the team knew what to expect, the Lightwood’s did not and their eyes were glued to Raphael’s hands.

After a few moments, Ragnor’s eyes opened slowly. It was rather anticlimactic in a way, how it looked as if he was just waking up from a nap, but of any alternative way of it happening, this was by far the lease traumatic.

To the Lightwoods who had never seen anything like this before, it was rather terrifying still. Usually when someone came back from the dead you ran the other way, but they remained rooted to the spot, determined to offer support for their new friends.

Ragnor took a moment to look around confused at his surroundings and trying to piece together why so many people were gathered around his bed, but then his eyes fell on Raphael with his hands still glowing purple and he smiled sadly. He knew right away what had happened.

“I take it things didn’t go so well for me at the warehouse,” he tried to joke. Clary let out a choked sob from the left, Jace gently pulled her in for a hug, stroking her long hair.

Ragnor looked apologetically at her, “Oh dear, I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry to all of you,” he added, looking specifically at Magnus who had tears forming in his eyes.

“What happened in there, Ragnor?” Luke asked thickly.

The man on the table sighed wearily, “The database was completed and I knew that Elias would have called in Valentine the moment the code finished rendering,” he sighed heavily, “ So, I put all our data, the codes, and the database and out them all on a hard drive and put it in to a special case. I was going to sneak it out of the building, but Valentine showed up, killed Elias, and told Starkweather to take care of the rest.”

The three Lightwoods tensed up when he mentioned the names Valentine and Starkweather, but a silent shake of his head from Alec kept their mouths shut.

Ragnor continued, “The briefcase will self-destruct if anyone tries to open it without the code. Remember 282121090.”

“Why did you steal the database?” Luke prodded.

“To stop Valentine’s plan. He’s trying to hunt down every mutant that escaped.”

“We knew that, what makes this any different from before?” Luke asked.

“The difference is that with names, history, family knowledge and whatever else is in those files he can track you all down easily! Just post a picture of a face on some black market listing and you’d all have kidnappers coming for all of you. And it’s not just to save his companies appearance. It’s because he plans to use you mutants for his own needs. He’s found ways to force mutants to do his bidding.”

Magnus sucked in a trembling breath, “What do we do?”

“Use the database yourselves. Find who you can and hide them away.”

“But—”

“Magnus, my dear boy, I don’t think I have much longer. I trust all of you to do what needs to be done,” Ragnor smiled gently at all of them, “I have complete faith that you’ll see to it I haven’t died in vain. I love you all dearly.”

They team all started to cry, choking out their own variations of goodbye. Jace pulled Clary tighter against him, his own eyes beginning to mist over. Isabelle took Simon’s hand in hers while Raphael grabbed for Cat’s.

“Ragnor, please don’t,” Magnus begged between tears, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

Ragnor let his head fall back on to the table, soft smile still on his lips as his heart stopped beating for the second time.

Alec caught Magnus as he crumpled to the floor, the crash of emotions sending him in to oblivion.


	17. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments! The last chapter was a hard one to write, and probably read too, so hopefully the next few chapters of the story heal up some wounds. This story is almost done, but I have the second one started and waiting in the wings. Very excited for this next one, lots of angst, a little more humor, a bunch of actual plot with bits of fluff....hopefully you guys like it as much as the first!

 

Magnus woke to soft knocking at his door as he sat up, confused as to when he had made it back to his room. He didn't remember going to bed. His gold silk sheets pooled around his waste and he saw he was still dressed in his normal clothes and it all came flooding back. Ragnor. The pain. The loss...Alec's arms and then nothing.

Grimacing, he pulled away the sheet and walked over to the door. His head was pounding, a common thing after an emotional overload. Everyone reacting so strongly to Ragnor passing on had been too much on top of his own sorrow. It wasn’t a surprise he blacked out. It must at least be the next day if the stubble on his cheeks were anything to go by. Raphael would have already taken Catarina home. Perhaps it was Luke or Clary coming to check on him. With a sigh, he pulled the door open to see an uncomfortable and nervous Alec holding a tea tray. Magnus was too stunned to say anything, which seemed to make Alec even more nervous.

“Uh, I completely understand if you don’t want to see me, or, uh, talk to me. I just thought you may want some tea once you woke up,” he said, lifting the tray in front of him for emphasis, almost sending one of the cups off the edge.

Magnus reached out to steady the tray before meeting those lovely hazel eyes.

“Come in.”

His room, like always, was stylish and organized. There was classy art placed in a balanced way around the walls and surfaces. All the furniture was modern and luxurious. There was room for his king-sized bed, his many bookshelves, a sitting area, and even enough room for a desk without making things feel cramped. He had specifically asked for the biggest closet when Ragnor had been designing the house for the team to move in to, and he had been granted a closet that was nearly the same size as his considerable bedroom. The thought sent a pang through his chest as he remembered the day before.

He gestured for Alec to place the tea on the coffee table between his two couches and took a seat, Alec doing the same across from him. Immediately he started pouring an amber colored liquid in to the cups. Magnus couldn't identify the tea by the smell or color.

“Um, sugar? Cream?” Alec hedged.

“What kind of tea is it? I don’t remember Simon ever having the class enough to buy anything but sleepy time chamomile tea from the grocery store, and this doesn’t smell like that.”

A blush crept its way out from where Alec's sweater met his neck and rose all the way up to his cheeks in the most endearing way, making Magnus hide a smile with a duck of his head. This man was just too much. How could someone go from the terror trees master to uncomfortable giraffe in the blink of an eye? 

“Ah, yeah that. I actually made the blend myself,” Alec admitted with a wince.

Magnus’ eyebrows shot up.

Alec hurried to explain, “I used to spend free time at the city library. It was warm in there during the winter, so I would stay there for hours reading books. Most of those books were on plants,” he blushed again, “I just wanted to know what it was that I was tied to. And I gained a lot of information, mostly about how plants could be used for healing. I didn't really think they could be used as weapons, beyond poison anyway, until that night in the flower shop.”

Magnus nodded encouragingly, “Of course, comfort in knowledge. I understand.”

Alec’s eyes lit up as Magnus smiled at him to continue, “Yeah, like that. Anyway, I found lots of books on natural herbs and medicine. We would all get sick a lot because of the conditions we lived in, so I would collect the seeds of medicinal plants and grow whatever I needed to treat us. There was no way we could afford doctors or real drugs, so this was the next best thing.”

“So, this is medicinal?” Magnus asked with dread. He'd never experience a medicinal tea that didn't taste like liquefied death. He’d have much rather liked some aphrodisiac type influence. Anything to loosen up Alec a bit. Perhaps he’d make him a cocktail later, Magnus' own version of a medicinal beverage. 

Alec shrugged as he poured more of the slightly rust colored liquid in to the cups, “It has medicinal properties, but I’ve worked out a way over time to make it taste good. Jace would never had drunk it otherwise. This one in particular has willow bark,” he glanced up at Magnus, “Clary mentioned you get headaches after stuff like that. Some peppermint for nausea and to cover the bitterness of the bark. And a few other secret ingredients to sooth and repair various systems. So, to answer your original question, I guess it’s an herbal tea.”

Magnus nodded, “Then just one sugar for me.”

Alec prepared the two cups and handed the warm beverage to the Psychic who took it reverently. This was something that he had made for his beloved siblings and was now sharing with him! The feeling behind it was not lost on Magnus. Alec was thrilled to see Magnus accept his offering. It was very primal in a way, offering food to someone special. Magnus wondered to himself if some of Izzy’s animal instincts were rubbing off on her brother.

Cautiously, wary of the temperature, Magnus took a small sip and his eyes widened. The tea was delectable, and Magnus couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped his lips after tasting it. He almost moaned again at the hint of arousal he felt come from Alexander at the noise. This boy was far too innocent if a simple sound of appreciation was enough to spark a reaction like that.

But whatever spark there was burning there, it suddenly blew out and Magnus felt a sharp stab of regret and shame come from the young man. He wanted to ask, but held his tongue. Most people got antsy when Magnus questioned their private emotions. Instead he gave Alec time to work through whatever was brewing in that pretty head of his. In true Alexander fashion, it was a few minutes of silence before he had gathered his thoughts and courage enough to speak.

Gently he placed his cup back on the table in front of him and folded his hands in his lap, “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I’m sorry it made you angry,” he said his eyes falling to his feet.

Magnus nearly choked on his tea, “Angry? What could you possibly have said to make me angry?”

Alec looked hesitant to bring it up again, “Uh, when I kind of tricked you in to agreeing to bring Ragnor back. I just…I thought that I had an idea of the kind of person you are and that you would do anything to help another mutant and maybe all of the,” Alec twirled his hand in the air, “emotions coming from everyone may have been making it hard for you to be…you. I just would have felt awful if after everything died down you would feel regret over it. You don’t deserve to feel guilty about not wanting to be hurt again.”

To say he was touched was putting it gently. Magnus was floored. Someone could see for once how other’s emotions took an enormous toll on him. Only those closest and knew him for years had a vague understanding, yet here was this young man barely out of his teenaged years and coming from a horrid life, and he was reading Magnus like a magazine in a waiting room. And not only understanding, but trying to help Magnus at the potential cost of their slowly growing friendship.

Magnus, took another sip of tea to school himself before giving Alec a warm smile, “I promise that I was not angry at you, just the situation. I’ll admit the other’s own reservations were multiplying upon my own, and it would have been very difficult to change my mind, but you did it so gently. As much as it hurt to see Ragnor like that...I think looking back I would make the same decision. I know Ragnor was glad to get the chance to say goodbye and to assure further hope for the mutants in this world. Thank you for that. And thank you for the tea. It truly is helping, not to mention the excellent company. I do enjoy having you around.”

Alec looked hesitant to accept any praise, “Still though, you had to go through all that pain…twice. Not just your own but everyone else’s around you. It’s amazing. How do you handle it?”

Sitting back against the couch, Magnus took another sip of the tea as he mulled it over in his head. The way that Alexander was looking at him, with awe and admiration, like he was someone incredible, it felt wrong.

“Obviously I don’t handle it that well, I passed out if you remember.”

Alec shrugged like that meant nothing, “But you still knew you were going to have to go through all that. When I though Jace had died it hurt more than words can express. I felt like my world was ending. Having felt that, I don’t think I could ever willingly put myself through it again. But you did, so you could help others. I can’t even begin what it took to agree to that.”

Magnus felt warm and cold all over. Alexander’s words were so encouraging, so reverent, so innocent. He made it seem like Magnus was something more than he was. He didn’t feel that strong. He didn’t feel incredible.

“Alexander, I may have agreed to go through with it, despite the reaction I was bound to have, but don’t think I was completely at the mercy of everyone’s emotions, playing martyr. I put myself in that position. I don’t have to keep my mind open to all emotions around me, I could construct blocks in my mind to keep me from having to deal with anyone’s emotions but my own. I choose not to. I choose to leave my mind open and vulnerable,” he said, voice low with meaning.

“Why?” Alec asked, his own voice dropping.

“Because if I close off my mind, if I keep all others out. I feel…completely isolated. I’d rather be bombarded with every little bit of happy, sad, anger, fear…then choose to feel alone.”

Once again Magnus could see the cogs spinning in Alec’s mind over the information, a small wrinkle forming between his eyebrows as he puzzled through the mystery that was Magnus Bane. He watched as the Elemental mindlessly spooned several more mountains of sugar in to his cup and stirring fruitlessly to try and get it all to dissolve. With the amount of sugar in there he'd be lucky to get anything besides a grainy sludge. Magnus smiled softly as his affection for the man before him grew.

Finally, Alec seemed to settle on whatever was cooking in that pretty tousled head of his and he looked back to Magnus, meeting his eyes dead on, “Is there some way to share the emotions you’re feeling?”

Magnus frowned, confused at the sudden question, “I don’t follow.”

Alec moved closer, his body inching forward on the couch he sat on, “Luke said that if us Elementals get too emotional, we can diffuse it by using our abilities. Like, if too much water is being poured in to a cup using our abilities is like creating a hole in the bottom, letting it drain a bit before we overflow. If the volume of stuff you’re feeling becomes too much, can you share it? Like give some of your burden to another? Like me?” he asked.

Magnus though it over before nodding slowly, “Like the same volume of water only being poured in to two cups? I suppose I can, I’ve never tried it but it sounds possible. It would be like projecting emotions only instead of me having to create it out of thin air, I can just use what already exists. It may require me to physically touch them first, for a better transfer, but why would I do that?”

“Because you shouldn’t have to bear the burden yourself…and because no one should ever have to feel like they’re alone,” Alec stated quietly

Magnus’ breath caught.

“If you want to try, I’ll share the burden now if it’ll help,” Alec offered, his face and voice angelically endearing in its earnestness.

His eyes brimming with unshed tears, Magnus shook his head as a smile formed on his lips, “No need now, Darling. Perhaps someday, but right now just having you here is enough to help.”

Alec smiled back, but it was a little weak. The sense of regret still lingered on him like the smell of smoke.

“Is something else on your mind, Alexander?”

Alec ran a hand through his messy hair, causing a few strands to stick straight up, “Uh, not really. You were out for a while, so you didn’t hear the news.” He looked sad, and he felt worse.

Magnus frowned, his happy feeling dwindling, “What news?”

“Luke found a place for us. He said he’ll take us to our new home tomorrow.”


	18. Ungrateful

 

With a loud groan, Alec threw himself back into his pile of pillows on the bed, the force causing his whole body to bounce a few times and a few pillows to fall off. He stared up at the ceiling, mentally cursing himself and life in general.

He should be thrilled. They used to live in a freaking cardboard box, and now they were being sent to a safe house and would be provided for completely for years to come. Luke said they’d have a generous allowance for clothes, food, any creature comforts they desired really. It was a dream compared to what they were coming from. No more rationing food. Clothes would only have holes in them if they were meant to be there in the first place. No more bucket baths, they would have their own showers! No more of them being mistaken for streetwalkers, no more paying off landlords, no more being cold, no more being wet, no more...no more. For Alec, the very idea of it was somewhat foreign, like a language he hadn't heard since he was a child. He understood the words, but the meaning took a couple seconds to catch up to him. 

It was some concrete bunker built underground during some war or another that had been re-purposed as a safe house specializing in data archiving. Not glamorous at all, not like Luke’s home base, but it had everything they could ever need. They would be sharing with a few other mutants, so that they weren’t isolated, but they would all have separate rooms.

The bunker had a large concrete, fireproof, room for Jace to practice in. People for Izzy to talk to. And it was all built under a small forest on the edge of some small town, so Alec would have some nature nearby.

At first Luke didn’t consider the place because it was underground, meaning no sunlight for Alec and no easy air flow for Jace. However, beggars couldn’t be choosers and they planned to purchase some UV lights for his room and he would be able to go topside to the woods whenever he pleased…so long as he kept out of sight. And Jace would be given the same outdoor privileges and they would look in to improving the ventilation system too.

It wasn’t perfect, but after all they had lived through how could Alec complain?

He hadn’t though, not a single word of complaint. He thanked Luke when the team leader told him about the place and left it at that. He had lived without real light or forests for years, he could easily adjust back. What he couldn’t seem to get over though, was saying goodbye to the people who saved them.

Luke. That man led his team with confidence with which they achieved so much. He lived to protect others and was effective at it. Luke was incredible and awe inspiring and everything Alec wished he could be.

Clary and Simon, while a little annoying and seemed to remain untouched by the horrors of being a mutant, were able to lighten the mood with simple banter and an offered smile. And they seemed to make his sibling happy, something Alec wasn’t sure he had ever been able to do.

Then there was Magnus. Alec didn’t even know where to being with that man. He had come in to Alec’s life much like he had entered his store on that night.

Bright, kind, beautiful, and chaotic.

Alec was so used to hiding in the background where he could watch his siblings backs that it had become just his life to be glanced over and ignored. It had suited him. He didn’t need any distraction from trying to protect those he loved. Danger was literally around every corner with street cams and drones, an ever present threat to their safety. But now they were safe, hidden in the cliff in the middle of an incredible forest, and they let could their guard down for the first time in years. And that’s how Magnus snuck his way past Alec’s carefully constructed walls.

Someone had finally noticed Alec.

Unfortunately for the Elemental, he was about as good at reading others as he was at discerning between pink and salmon when Izzy asks him to bring her a specific shirt. He had a vague idea, but when it came to finally making a guess, he had actually grabbed the coral blouse.

He had thought he saw disappointment and maybe a little sadness in Magnus’ eyes as he told him about their home assignment but knowing how kind Magnus was it may have just been him sad that there couldn’t have been a better fit for them. As much as Alec wanted to think it was because Magnus would miss him, he was probably just grabbing at a magenta blouse this time.

A knock at the door pulled him from his musings and he called out lazily for whoever it was to enter.

He glanced over to the door to see Jace and Izzy come in to his room, both dressed in their borrowed pjs. Izzys, a pair of flannel ducky shirt and shorts from Clary. And Jace, a star wars shirt and basketball shorts from Simon. They looked…like normal people. No stretched out giant t-shirt with holes for Izzy. Jace was actually wearing pjs rather than just his normal day clothes to bed. It looked good on them, made them look younger. Alec couldn’t imagine what he looked like to them, wearing silky lounge pants and a black shirt that Mangus had let him borrow.

“Hey” Alec greeted softly, his sibling giving him small smiles in return before settling themselves on his bed. They didn’t need to ask permission, not after so many years sharing a bed.

Izzy came up next to him and instead of leaning back on the ridiculous amount of pillows, she instead claimed his shoulder as support. Jace, less sweetly, kicked at Alec’s legs until there was space enough at the foot for him to lay on his side, head propped up on one arm.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s company after some of the most stressful yet exhilarating days of their lives. The peace couldn’t last though, not with all of their minds brimming with everything that had happened and was happening to them.

“So, a bunker? Is that really going to be okay for you?” Izzy asked, deeply put off by the idea of cutting her brother off from light after what he had gone through recently.

Alec hesitated, but nodded, “I’ll have those lamps to keep me from getting sick again. And Cat says as long as I keep an eye on my blood sugar I should be bale to avoid any incidents. And there is a small forest above us. It’s not as great as the real thing, but I’ll be fine. What about you? I can’t imagine you handling being shut away underground.”

His sister shrugged, “If we’re all safe then I can deal. I checked the profiles of the people we’re staying with though. They’re a few years older than us. I’ll miss having Simon and Clary around, it’s not very often we have friends our age to hang with. Especially ones that we can relate to.”

Not very often was a bit of an over exaggeration, they never had friends outside their little family, even at the facility when they were surrounded by other children suffering as they suffered, their group had kept to themselves because the other children feared Jace and the three other children who befriended the son of the monster who kept them there.

Alec winced at his own thoughts, not for the first time wondering what would happen if they found out who Jace was raised by. Would they kick them out of their safe house? Turn them in? Kill them? Alec wanted to believe that they would trust that Jace was nothing like Valentine, but would anyone believe a bunch of rats they picked up in a dirty alley?

A loud groan from Jace brought him back, he kicked his brother to get him to lower his voice, “Hey, not so loud. Magnus is still recovering.”

Immediately he regretted saying anything as both siblings got sly looks on their faces.

Jace sat up, his eyes bright with a teasing glow, “Ah, yes, Magnus. The handsome Psychic whose room you came from not to long ago. You were in there for a while, anything we should know? Should I ask Luke where they keep the condoms?”

Alec grabbed one of what seemed like hundreds of pillows from behind him and threw it at Jace’s smug face, “He’s been through a lot, I thought I’d be a nice guest and give him something for his head.”

“Oh my god, which head?”

“Jace!”

“Shhh, Alec. You don’t want to disturb him, he’s recovering!”

Four more pillows were slammed in the blonde’s general direction until Alec felt somewhat satisfied and he sat back again, blush high on his cheeks as Izzy and Jace shared grins. Really though, just how many pillows could they fit on this bed?

“We’re leaving tomorrow and I probably won’t ever see him again, so it doesn’t matter what you guys think,” Alec bit out. The smiles fell from their faces.

Jace looked down at the bed sadly, “Do we really have to leave?”

Alec nodded, “They’ve done too much for us already. The least we could do is get out of their hair and let them do their job.”

“But, we helped them, didn’t we? Without us they would never have gotten Ragnor and that case out of the building. Both him and the database would be gone. Not to mention those agents we took down before Alec went super dome on us,” Izzy pointed out.

Jace nodded eagerly, “Yeah, as much as it sucked that we didn’t end up saving Ragnor, we may have helped save a bunch of other mutants by getting that database back. Maybe if we keep helping them they’ll let us stay?”

“You just don’t want to have to say goodbye to Clary” Izzy teased, but there was a seriousness to her face that told of the deeper meaning behind Jace actually liking someone outside their little family. She had seen the way Jace was around her. While Clary was watching, Jace acted like he did with all the other girls he had charmed in the past in order to get a fun night out of them, flirty, arrogant, and bit of a tool. But it was the way Jace acted when Clary wasn’t watching that left his two siblings in awe.

His eyes would trail where she moved, a soft smile on his face. It sometimes appeared that he lost track of what he was doing as soon as she entered the room. If she spoke, even when it wasn’t directly to him, he would hang on her every word. Izzy was thrilled. Alec was floored. They had never seen their brother so fixated on one girl before.

Jace didn’t say anything back to Izzy, knowing she would be able to hear his heart sing if he did.

Izzy didn’t press further and adjusted herself to lay her head in Alec’s lap, “I wish we could stay too. There’s so much we could learn here, so many people we could help. And Simon promised me that he would show me how to use all that cool stuff in their lab.”

Running his hand through his sister’s hair, Alec sighed, “We can’t ask them for anything more. Tomorrow we’re going to our new home and it’s going to be so much better than what we’ve had. We’ll be happy, I promise.”

No one responded to that and wordlessly they made themselves comfortable, silently deciding that they wanted to spend their last night there together. As they all gathered under the sheets, they all fell in to their own thoughts about what they would be leaving behind tomorrow. The only thing that kept the chill of their thoughts from seeping in to their very bones was the solid presence of their siblings nearby. 

Jace was the first to nod off, his bangs falling in front of his eyes as his head lolled listlessly to the side. Alec was next, the small crease between his eyes smoothing out and making him look so much younger it made Izzy's heart ache. 

After a while, Isabelle closed her own eyes, not wanting to dwell on the sadness growing in her heart any more. She let her ears focus in on the twin heartbeats of her brothers as a lullaby to sing her to sleep. The last thing she pushed from her mind as she fell into oblivion was that she regretted not saying anything about how Alec’s heart jumped when he said they’d be happy at their new home.


	19. Wanting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this story was so fun to write! Thank you all for sticking with me as I develop my writing skills, your comments have been fuel for my fire! Second story is almost completed, and the third has an outline, so there is plenty more to come of this AU! First chapter of story #2 will be posted this coming Monday, please check it out :) The title will be The Haunted.  
> Thanks again!!!!!!!!!

Magnus wanted to be under the assumption that the somber mood this morning was solely because of the recent loss of a friend, to conject otherwise seemed rather rude to the deceased. However, it could be said that perhaps would have been slightly less somber if it weren’t for the Lightwoods gathering their meager belongings up in to duffels and heading out to the hangar where Luke would fly them away.

Normally their whole team was not needed for safe house relocation missions, it was usually just one or two of them. One always being Luke, and sometimes with a volunteer. The team leader always needing to physically see his wards delivered to safety. Usually one to enjoy quiet missions, Magnus would have jumped at the opportunity to go along but something held him back. Something seemed to hold back Simon and Clary as well, seeing as they weren’t jumping at the chance to go either.

He tried to reason with himself that it wasn’t resentment that the Lightwoods had to leave at all, taking with them the man who had sparked a bit of hope in his otherwise hopeless world. It couldn’t be that he didn’t think he could bear to leave Alexander in an underground bunker of all places. Under no circumstances could Magnus let himself think that when he would leave with Luke after, it would be the last time he ever saw Alexander again.

It was better this way. Right?

Magnus carefully applied the last bits of his eyeliner for the day, making sure to leave one last incredible impression on the Lightwoods before Luke whisked them away to their new hole in the ground. Meanwhile he tried to play out different scenarios of just how he would say goodbye.

There was the familiar hug.

No, it was too much. While Alexander was incredibly tactile with his siblings, he gave off an air of ‘touch me and your fingers are fair game for my teeth’, and Magnus besides that he couldn’t promise himself that he would let go.

Handshake?

No, far too formal. Magnus didn’t want Alec to feel like all of this was some business transaction. It would be nice to grasp those elegant fingers in his, but at the risk of coming off as ‘it’s all part of the job’ that was probably a no go.

Casual wave?

With a groan Magnus threw down his pencil and resisted the urge to rub his hands over his freshly applied make-up. It shouldn’t be this hard, it had never been this hard any other time that he had bonded with the mutants that came through their lives. What made Alec so different?

Farewell kiss on the cheek?

No. Just…no.

* * *

 

Everyone was gathering in the hangar by the small plane that would fly the siblings off to their new home.

Clary had tearfully hugged Izzy and gave her an untraceable cell phone to call her anytime to talk girl stuff. Having been around nothing but brothers her whole life, this made Izzy practically beam with joy. Simon had moved in for hugs from Jace and Alec only to be denied and offered a manly nod of the head from each of them instead. The Molecular accepted graciously, if not awkwardly.

Luke didn’t bother with any goodbye’s as he was the one taking them home and there would be time for all that later. He had almost convinced himself that it had nothing to do with regretting the choice of letting these kids go.

Alec casually put himself a few feet to the side when it was time for Clary and Jace to say their own goodbyes, allowing a bit of privacy. He saw his brother putting on a bright smile and his false bravado for her as they talked, but he had seen the sorrow in his brother’s eyes that morning as they packed up the scraps of personal clothes they had. Jace didn’t want to leave, but he would never leave his siblings side. Even if he found someone who woke his sleeping heart.

He also knew Isabelle didn’t want to leave, and winced in sympathy as Simon gave her a hug that would bruise even someone with Izzy’s Feral strength and she hugged back just as hard, her eyes tearing up a bit when he gave her a box of pink frosted donuts for the flight.

Alec sighed, something that Luke heard and casually made his way over to the oldest sibling.

“You know we can try to keep looking for a better assignment for you all. It’s not a big deal to stay here a bit longer,” Luke offered quietly.

Alec shook his head, “You’ve done so much for us already, I don’t think we can ask for anything more. Maybe if something pops up later, but it’s best if we get out of your hair now. It’ll just be harder to leave later.”

Luke nodded his agreement to that last part, it would be harder later. Just looking at how quickly this group had all bonded together was remarkable. Staying longer would just mean a more painful goodbye down the road. A small part of him wished that Alec would want to stay here, his siblings too, and maybe Luke would find a way to make them a permanent part of their team, but after all that these kids had been through…how could he possibly ask them to put their lives at risk to help others?

“Okay, you let me know if you change your mind though,” he said and then called out to the others, feeling like shit for having to break them all apart, “We’ve got to get going, bunker crew is expecting us.”

“What about Magnus?” Izzy asked, noting the absence of the Psychic.

Alec was secretly glad she asked, not wanting to ask himself. It hurt a bit, Magnus not showing up to wish them luck or whatever. Alec had thought that they had a connection, he wasn’t sure what that meant, but he thought it would warrant some sort of farewell. Maybe he just mistook Magnus’ kindness for something more, and it was Alec’s own fault he felt hurt at Magnus’ lack of appearance.

Luke’s shoulders dropped, “I’m not sure, but we can’t wait for him. I’ll have him call the bunker later so you get a chance to say goodbye.”

The three of them nodded and picked up their mostly empty duffels, slowly walking over to the plane to milk their last few moments in the first place they had ever felt safe in.

Isabelle and Jace got in first, taking their seats and refusing to look out the windows at the faces staring back up at them. Alec was last, coming up to the door to the small plane and lifting one leg up on the rung about to hoist himself in, but he paused. He didn’t know why, but he felt a tug that had him turn his head back just as Magnus ran in to the hangar.

The Psychic moved with purpose into the room, bringing the attention of everyone in and out of the plane, and stopped in the middle of the room, his eyes locked with Alec’s.

Then Alec felt it. It was just a little nudge at first, like a hesitant knock from the other side of a door only it was in his mind, but Alec knew exactly what it was. He let his foot drop down and he turned back to fully face the Psychic and slowly started to walk over, watching as Magnus’ face got softer with disbelief with each new step.

He kept moving until he stood only a foot length away, and then he held out his hand palm up.

He watched as Magnus stared at the offered hand for a moment before slowly sliding his own ringed fingers around Alec’s.

A wave of…everything poured into Alec. He felt sorrow, he felt loneliness, he felt longing, he felt desire, he felt hope. The hope was the most overwhelming feeling of all. It was so much, but it wasn’t too much, not yet, so he let it all continue to drain in to him. While he was able to assign each thing he felt a name, he had no idea what each emotion was directed at. Was is sorrow over Ragnor, or sorrow over them leaving? Alec had no clue, but whatever the source he would gladly share the burden if it meant feeling the happiness grow inside of Magnus. He would give anything to give Magnus more of that feeling.

It felt like so much time had passed, but when everything slowed to a trickle and Magnus finally broke off the flow, it had probably only been a few seconds.

Alec blinked, looking around at the many confused faces around them, his own gaze eventually leading back to the man before him.

He had never seen Magnus look so beautiful. His smile was weightless, his eyes bright…whatever burden he had been carrying had been lifted and he looked at peace. Alec let out a shaky breath that made Magnus chuckle and stroke a hand down the Elemental’s face.

Alec turned to Luke, blush dusting his cheeks, “Um, Luke. We…we want to stay.”

Luke’s eyebrows reached his hairline.

Isabelle dove out of the plane, only her supernatural grace keeping her from faceplanting on the ground, “Yes, please! We can help you guys with missions!”

Less gracefully, Jace jumped out behind her, “Yeah, you’ve seen what we can do,” he said breathlessly, hope and joy in his voice.

The team leader seemed hesitant, “You all would be great to have on the team, but it’s dangerous work and you have so much to learn about yourselves and your abilities. It’ll be grueling. You’ve been through so much already, I don’t feel right asking you to do any more.”

“You’re not asking, we are. Please, we want to help. We want to protect people like us,” Isabelle said, coming up beside her brother.

“We’ll do anything to stop Valentine,” Jace added, nails in his voice.

Alec turned to his siblings, gesturing for them to calm down before turning to Luke himself, “We know we have a lot to learn about our abilities, but we’ll never learn living in a hole in the ground. I’ve learned more about myself in the last four days than I have ever since my mutation presented. Our whole lives since the facility have been about protecting our family and no one else, and now it’s time for us to learn how to protect others. No one else should suffer like we did, not when we have the ability to save them.”

Luke crossed his arms over his broad chest, taking in all the young and eager faces before him, his face serious. A few moments of silence passed, and then his face broke out in a grin.

“Okay. Welcome to the team.”

* * *

 

“So tell me again, what you saw the day of the warehouse fire.”

The agent shivered at Valentine’s voice, but thankfully his parade rest position kept his shaking hands out of sight.

“Uh, there were four mutants outside keeping us from getting close to the building. We had seen three others enter the fire just as we were arriving. Two were mutants we’ve seen before, the female Psychic and male Molecular who are often on scene of captures that go wrong,” he said, doing his best to keep his voice steady.

“And the other two?” Hodge prompted.

The agents cheek twitched, “New. One was female Feral, the other was a male Elemental. Both had black hair and similar facial features. Possibly related.”

Valentine leaned forward on his desk, “And what was this male’s element?” he purred.

“Undefined. I was told by the second wave on scene that he was the one who created the barricade out of what appeared to be roots. Could be wood, or could be plants. Unsure with the intel we have. I was, uh, shoved through a portal and sent to Mexico before I could personally get more.”

Valentine nodded, “I see. Welcome back from Mexico then. Now, what about those who entered the building. Do you have any description of them?”

The agent nodded eagerly, “Yes! Two were also from the group of mutants that have been interrupting our missions, the male Feral and male Psychic. The third was a blond male, early twenties. We are unsure of his ability, but if we were to hazard a guess, maybe fire or water Elemental? We thought the doorway was full of flames, but they were somehow able to enter. No one saw them exit the building before the collapse however.”

As he agent completed the description, he watched as Valentine’s smile get wider and more twisted.

Hodge seemed to notice as well and dismissed the agent quickly before turning back to his boss who was now out of his chair and pacing around his office, a look of glee on his face that made Hodge feel ill.

“You seem quite happy for someone who just lost his database and entire archive warehouse, not to mention one of his lead scientists,” Hodge observed.

Valentine laughed, a sickly sounding thing.

“That’s old news, Mr. Starkweather. I have a new focus now. You heard those descriptions and they provided me with all I need to know.”

Hodge raised a single brow, “And what is that?”

“That Jace is alive, he’s still with those two Lightwood brats, and that Luke Garroway has them.”


End file.
